Meeting Date: March 10, 2026
To: Housing and Redevelopment Authority
Ben Martig, City Administrator
From: Melissa Hanson, Housing Coordinator
Title
Discuss Resolution Proclaiming the month of April 2026 Fair Housing Month.
Body
Action Requested:
Staff Recommends the HRA review a Resolution Proclaiming the Month of April 2026 as Fair Housing Month in Northfield.
Summary Report:
The City of Northfield adopted a Fair Housing Statement in 2023. The Fair Housing Statement is meant to be a living document. An annual proclamation acknowledges the importance of Fair Housing and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to our community. An annual proclamation also acknowledges that there are still barriers to equal housing and our community actively works to break those barriers down. An annual proclamation also fulfills the City's obligation to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing as a recipient of Federal Funds through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).
The Housing and Redevelopment Authority has moved support for the attached Resolution Proclaiming the Month of April 2026 as Fair Housing Month in Northfield.
Attachment 1 - Northfield's Fair Housing Statement
Attachment 2 - Draft Fair Housing Proclamation Resolution
History:
On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which was meant as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The 1968 Act expanded on previous acts and prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, sex, (and as amended) handicap and family status. Title VIII of the Act is also known as the Fair Housing Act (of 1968).
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing because of:
* Race
* Color
* National Origin
* Religion
* Sex (including gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexual harassment)
* Familial Status (marital status)
* Disability
The Minnesota Human Rights Act, or MHRA, is the state...
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