Washington victorious over HUD’s attack on fair housing protections

Washington victorious over HUD’s attack on fair housing protections FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sep 9 2026 atgAshleyGross Wed, 09/09/2026 - 10:58 Washington and other states have secured relief from unlawful conditions the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) attempted to place on funds state and local agencies use to enforce fair housing laws. The legal win protects federal funding for Washington under the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) to support efforts to protect residents from housing discrimination. In recent years, FHAP funds to the state have ranged from approximately $180,000 to $365,000 annually. “HUD abruptly and unlawfully tried to upend a decades-long partnership with the state to protect people from housing discrimination,” Attorney General Nick Brown said. “Our state was promised these funds to help ensure that Washingtonians of all backgrounds are treated fairly in searching for a place to call home.” In March 2026, the coalition filed a lawsuit challenging unlawful conditions in HUD's Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 FHAP Funding Guidance, which could have limited state and local agencies’ ability to enforce their fair housing laws, including by restricti