Know your housing rights for Fair Housing Month

Published on April 09, 2025

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – April is Fair Housing Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the laws that protect residents from housing discrimination and ensure equal access to housing for all. 

Enacted in 1968, “The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination by direct providers of housing, such as landlords and real estate companies as well as other entities, such as municipalities, banks or other lending institutions and homeowners insurance companies whose discriminatory practices make housing unavailable to persons because of race or color, religion, sex, national origin, family status or disability,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s website.   

To help ensure Fayetteville residents are receiving fair treatment in housing, the city adopted the Fair Housing Ordinance in 2018. This ordinance allows the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Department to investigate complaints and enforce compliance through mediation, penalties, or legal action, if necessary, with the support of the city’s Fair Housing Board and the city’s Attorney’s Office. 

If the complaint is outside of the department’s jurisdiction, then it’s routed to the appropriate agencies at the local, state or federal level.  

Yamile Nazar, Human Relations Director leads the department’s efforts. Nazar was appointed as the director for the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Department on Jan. 3, 2022. 

“Fair housing isn’t just a law,” Nazar said. “Everyone deserves a place to call home, free from any type of discrimination.” 

If any resident has questions about rights, or has faced housing discrimination, they are encouraged to contact the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Department at 910-433-1696. 

To learn more about fair housing or the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Department, visit FayettevilleNC.gov/HumanRelations.  

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