Studies
2009 FHCSP Testing Audit - Housing Discrimination Trends in the Philadelphia Region
Summary
The need for a strong organization that helps assure fair access to quality housing for everyone remains as pressing today as it was in the 1950's when the Fair Housing Council of Suburban Philadelphia (FHCSP) was founded. Housing discrimination limits freedom of choice and perpetuates segregation, denying individuals and families the opportunity to live in diverse and open communities. Housing consumers are generally unaware of their protected rights under fair housing laws - they simply desire a decent place to live to be close to schools, employment and other quality of life needs.
The FHCSP Testing Audit reports the shared experiences of families with children, individuals with disabilities and African American home seekers exposing the continued prevalence of housing discrimination in the greater Philadelphia market. Despite enactment of fair housing laws over 41 years ago, the audit shows that discrimination continues to limit housing choice in the Philadelphia region. FHCSP presents an evaluation of the experiences of prospective tenants and homebuyers in the Philadelphia region obtained through "testing." Testing is a controlled process designed to identify differences in treatment accorded to testers who are similar in every significant respect except the variable being tested (e.g. race, households with children, disability). Testing measures differences in the quality, content, and quantity of information and services provided.
The 2009 FHCSP Testing Audit consists of 237 tests completed between January 2006 and December 2008 in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery Counties and the City of Philadelphia. Tests were designed to uncover differences in treatment on the basis of race, disability and familial status. FHCSP also evaluated the data from its Voice Profiling Project to interpret the extent and nature of housing discrimination experienced by African American homeseekers when they inquire about housing over the phone. For many of the testers, housing opportunities were immediately limited simply because they sounded African American. The report found that:
- 54% of testers sounding African American were treated less favorably than testers sounding white
- 33% of new construction communities violated the design and construction requirements of the Fair Housing Act
- 29% of tests showed preferential treatment favoring white testers over African American testers
- 27% of tests showed that individuals with disabilities were denied reasonable accommodation or modification requests
- 19% of tests showed preferential treatment favoring households without children over households with children
Testing evidence often serves as a critical piece of evidence in allegations of housing discrimination and is the most effective way to study the nature of housing discrimination. FHCSP recognizes education as a means to prevent housing discrimination and presents this testing audit as a tool for communities and advocates combating this complex problem. While significant progress has been made, there is much to be done as older, stubborn problems such as racial discrimination persist and new challenges arise as the demographics of the region evolve.
Read the full report here.
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