Wyoming Advisory Committee Announces Report on Housing Discrimination: Fair Housing Practices in Wyoming

The Wyoming Advisory Committee (Committee) to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (Commission) concluded its study on fair housing practices in the state. Specifically, from a civil rights perspective, the Committee examined the extent to which Wyoming residents have fair and equal access to housing without regard to race, color, disability status, national origin, age, religion, sex (incl. gender identity and sexual orientation), and/or familial status. In addition, the Committee looked at whether federal, state, and local policies are being enforced in an equitable manner in Wyoming that prohibits discrimination.

The Committee collected testimony from subject-matter experts and stakeholders, such as researchers, academics, advocates, government officials, and impacted individuals, in a series of public briefings. Through the testimony they received, the Committee identified several key concerns and drafted the following findings, respectively:

1. Marginalized groups are experiencing housing discrimination in Wyoming, particularly individuals who are disabled and racial minorities;
2. Barriers exist in reporting alleged instances of housing discrimination in Wyoming;
3. Barriers exist in enforcing the federal and state fair housing laws in Wyoming;
4. Rates of housing discrimination may be correlated with the lack of available affordable housing; and
5. Restrictive land use regulations and zoning may be used as tools for excluding certain groups.

The recommendations noted in the report are directed to the Commission asking for corrective actions from stakeholders including the U.S. Congress, the Wyoming Legislature, the Wyoming Governor, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Key recommendations include:

1. Assign enforcement authority, under the Wyoming Fair Housing Act, to the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Complaints Division;
2. Make affordable housing a priority throughout the state of Wyoming, including creating and maintaining a Wyoming Housing Trust Fund with a focus on building and rehabilitating affordable housing;
3. Remove unenforceable racist and/or discriminatory language that still exist in some real property covenants; and
4. Conduct additional compliance reviews of recipients of HUD funding within Wyoming, particularly in Riverton, Wyoming.

Wyoming Advisory Committee Chair, James O’Brien said: “Access to affordable housing in Wyoming is challenging for renters and owners. It is even more difficult when landlords and sellers unfairly and unlawfully discriminate. The Committee is pleased to have the opportunity to study housing discrimination in Wyoming and to prepare recommendations that directly address the problem. We are very thankful to all the experts who shared their knowledge and experience with us. We hope that the Wyoming legislature carefully considers the findings our Committee made in our report and adopts legislation reflecting our recommendations. We also urge Governor Gordon to assign responsibility for enforcing the Wyoming Fair Housing Act to the State’s Attorney General so that Wyoming residents can obtain relief in Wyoming.”

For additional information on this project, please visit the public record. If you wish to receive updates regarding the work of the Wyoming Advisory Committee, consider subscribing to the Federal Register.