In this new series, experts from Enterprise combine research, data and stories that demonstrate the impact of specific policy areas on racial disparities in both housing and non-housing outcomes.

April is Fair Housing month, and this year marks 55 years since the Fair Housing Act was signed. We take a look at recent updates to the rule.

In April, Congress reintroduced the Fair Housing Improvement Act of 2023 to ensure that the variety of income sources people use throughout the country to pay their rent don’t pose an obstacle to signing a lease. For 2.3 million households around the country living with low incomes, rental subsidies in the form of housing vouchers offer the promise of affordable housing. Yet, in many places, legal forms of discrimination create a barrier to realizing that promise.

Tribal lands face challenges with appraisals that often lead to a smaller pool of appraisers and can create roadblocks for appraisals. The hurdles stem from the unique complexities of land ownership on tribal lands and often limited access to comparable market data.

Deadly disasters disproportionately affect underserved communities and people of color, reflecting decades of disinvestment and the climate impacts faced when compared to wealthier and non-redlined areas.

In this post, the author unpacks the racial inequities built into another tax provision that unfairly benefits white owners: the mortgage interest deduction (MID). Through an examination of its origins, uses, and value relative to costs, the following discussion shows how this seemingly race-neutral tax deduction actually exacerbates racial wealth and homeownership gaps.

For over a century, Native Hawaiians have been fighting to get back the land that's rightfully theirs.

Last year was the hottest year on record , and 2024 has a one-in-three chance of being even hotter. As temperatures increase and climate change worsens, extreme heat events will occur with more frequency and intensity, having an outsized impact in dense, urban areas. Urban neighborhoods face increased temperatures due to building concentrations and a lack of green space, creating a phenomenon referred to as the urban heat island effect. Neighborhoods with a high number of low-income residents of color experience more intense heat island effects. This is not by chance, but is a result of deliberate, discriminatory housing policies that have impacted people of color, pushing them into vulnerable neighborhoods prone to extreme heat exacerbated by climate change.