5402 Week 5 Assignment Social Welfare Problem Policy Approach

Federal Housing Inequality Policy: Fair Housing Act Name Institution Course Code and Title Instructor Date Introduction Housing inequality in the United States is one of the federal social issues that has implicated individuals, communities, and families across the country. Intending to resolve the problem, the country has implemented several policies such as the Fair Housing Act (FHA) enacted in 1968 that was formulated to address housing discrimination. The FHA operates under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with the primary goal of making homeownership more accessible to individuals and families (Kagan, 2022). The FHA policy prevents discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing for the protected classes listed in the policy. The policy has established strategies for promoting equitable housing opportunities through offering by offering mortgage insurance to lenders. The FHA-insured loans have a low down payment as compared to conventional loans besides having lenient credit requirements. The policy, therefore, has helped individuals who do not qualify for traditional mortgages due to credit problems (Congressional Research Service, 2018). The FHA programs provides the loan limits based on the location and the financed properties must meet the minimum policy standards ensuring the homes are suitable for living. In this paper, we shall analyze how the policy has been effective in addressing the issue. Also, we shall look at public opinion historically and currently, look at its impact on family, and determine its flaws. Effectiveness of the Policy Concerning the Social Issue Assessing the effectiveness of the Fair Housing Act requires looking at both sides of the achievements and limitations. The policy was enforced by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which holds the authority to investigate complaints, impose fines, and take legal actions on violators. As a consequence, the policy raises and creates awareness making individuals and organizations more conscious of the discrimination in the housing sector (Park, 2023). Hence, the policy has made significant achievements leading to an expansion of the protected classes with more inclusivity of the disabled and individuals from different economic statuses. Unfortunately, the policy has had its shortcomings, as housing discrimination continues to be displayed in various forms. The housing opportunities have been limited within factors listed under the policy excluding the important ones such as socioeconomic status. The policy experiences enforcement challenges in enacting the law evenly and imposing sufficient penalties on violations (Congressional Research Service, 2018). In addition, the policy has not successfully addressed residential segregation as historical patterns and systemic issues continue to promote unequal access to housing opportunities. Lastly, the policy does not provide a comprehensive cover of the housing market since discrimination practices such as exclusionary zoning are still explicit. Historic and Current Public Opinion in Response to the Federal Policy Synthesizing the historical and current public opinions on the FHA provides an enigmatic reflection of the changes in attitudes towards housing discrimination and equal housing opportunities. First, the historical perspective which is the civil rights era the public opinion was mixed. Despite the broad realization of the need to address racial discrimination in housing, part of the population did not like the idea of federal intervention in the issue. The opposition in certain regions expressed unwillingness to embrace neighborhood integration. In the period after the 1970s-1980s when FHA started to be implemented, compliance and enforcement challenges popped up due to differing individual perspectives on the government's role in regulating the housing market (Reina & Aiken, 2021). The opinion c...