The Colorado Civil Rights Division celebrates April as National Fair Housing Month. The Division, along with our federal partner at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), celebrate the 56th anniversary of the signing of the Fair Housing Act. On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which was an addition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VIII of the Act, also known as the Fair Housing Act (of 1968), prohibits discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability and familial status. In an official press release, Adrianne Todman, Acting Secretary of HUD, stated, “Everyone in this country deserves to live free from discrimination, bias, and danger. This Fair Housing Month, we are recommitting ourselves to the important work of protecting individuals and families across America from harm.”
This year, HUD has adopted the theme: "Fair Housing: The ‘Act’ in Action," focusing on “taking meaningful action to advance housing justice and protect the rights of all people to live free from discrimination in the homes of their choice, regardless of their race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation or gender identity), disability, or familial status.” Please visit HUD’s 2024 Fair Housing Month website for events and educational resources available throughout this month.
Notably, the State of Colorado was the first in the nation to pass statewide fair housing laws, barring discrimination in housing in 1959, nine years before the signing of the federal Fair Housing Act. CCRD enforces the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA), which additionally prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of an individual’s marital status, source of income, as well as on the basis of an individual's veterans and/or military status. In addition, persons who have engaged in protected activity (such as making a complaint of discrimination, or requesting a reasonable accommodation) are protected from retaliation for doing so.
The Colorado Civil Rights Division is charged with the enforcement ofCADA.. CADA prohibits discrimination based on protected class in employment, housing, and places of public accommodation. The CCRD enforces CADA primarily through the investigation of complaints of discrimination, but also through mediation and education.
To learn about your Civil Rights and protections from discrimination under CADA , including free monthly webinars, visit the Colorado Civil Rights Division.