For decades, the Fair Housing Act has helped protect people across the country from discrimination. One of its most important tools — known as the “disparate impact” rule — allows us to challenge housing policies that may appear neutral but end up unfairly harming certain groups. Courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have affirmed its importance in ensuring equal access to housing.

Now, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), under Secretary Scott Turner, is proposing to eliminate this critical protection.

The consequences are real. Survivors of domestic violence have faced eviction simply for calling the police. Families have been denied housing due to blanket policies that disproportionately exclude Black women and others with past eviction records — even when those records are old or dismissed. Without the disparate impact rule, it becomes far harder to challenge these systemic barriers.

People should not be denied housing because of who they are or because of policies that unfairly stack the deck against them.

Weakening enforcement now risks undoing decades of bipartisan progress toward equal opportunity. It could leave families with fewer protections, fewer options, and fewer chances to rebuild after hardship.

We call on HUD Secretary Scott Turner and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to withdraw this proposal and uphold the agency’s responsibility to enforce fair housing laws fully and fairly.

We also urge members of Congress from both parties to provide oversight and ensure that longstanding civil rights protections remain intact.

Housing stability strengthens communities, supports economic growth, and reflects our shared values of fairness and equal opportunity.

Now is the time to stand together — not roll back the protections that help make those values real.

Sign this petition to protect fair housing for everyone.