HUD: 1 in 5 Asians Faces Housing Bias

One of every five Asians and Pacific Islanders who attempt to buy or rent a house is discriminated against, according to an 11-city study released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.The study found that, among Asians and Pacific Islanders, 21.5% of prospective renters experienced "consistent adverse treatment" relative to comparable whites, and 20.4% of prospective homebuyers experienced such treatment, HUD said. These rates of discrimination are similar to those found for African-Americans and Hispanics in earlier studies, the agency said. The study, conducted by the Urban Institute, was based on 889 paired tests, a technique whereby a minority and a white non-Hispanic pose as otherwise identical homeseekers with comparable housing needs, income, assets, and debt. "In addition to using the research findings to document our nation's progress in reducing housing discrimination, we also will use the data to better target HUD's education and enforcement resources," said Carolyn Peoples, HUD's assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity. Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington were among the cities covered by the study. HUD can be found online at http://www.hud.gov.