The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have teamed up for a social media campaign to raise awareness of housing discrimination and highlight the importance of fair housing across the country.
The Fair Housing Act was enacted more than 50 years ago and prohibits housing discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), disability, familial status (including families with children under age 18, those seeking custody of such persons, or pregnancy).
The first component of the NCRC and HUD social media campaign is the #WelcomeME #FairHousingMatters Selfie Challenge.
“It’s time to drive discrimination out of housing once and for all and replace it with a welcome and open door to housing everywhere,” said Andrew Nachison, NCRC’s Chief Communications & Marketing Officer. “We’re challenging everyone with a mobile phone and a social media account to show and tell their story and make this message loud and clear across the nation. We’re also offering prizes to thank some participants.”
“All people deserve to live in housing free from discrimination,” said Demetria L. McCain, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “We applaud NCRC’s efforts to engage the public and celebrate our nation’s fair housing laws.”
The challenge itself is simple: post a photo or video of yourself in front of or inside your home, or anywhere with your house keys, and answer the question, “What does it mean to have a welcoming home free from discrimination?”
Don’t forget to include these two hashtags in your posts: #WelcomeME #FairHousingMatters.
To be entered into the challenge sweepstakes be sure to include both hashtags.
Don’t have social media? You can still participate by submitting your photo or video here.
NCRC will select 10 sweepstakes winners who will receive a variety of prizes. These prizes are not a part of NCRC’s grant from HUD. For details on the challenge and sweepstake, visit: ncrc.org/welcomeME
Additional components of the NCRC and HUD social media campaign include public service announcement advertisements, posters, and a tweetstorm to be held during National Fair Housing Month in April 2023.
(*Disclaimers: Except where prohibited by law, your entry grants NCRC permission to use, reproduce and republish your photograph and likeness on its website, print materials, and various social media platforms utilized by NCRC for promotional and marketing related to the organization’s mission and future events. Your submission may also be visible to others who have access to the platform.
The work products developed under this grant are supported with funding from the US. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. NCRC is solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in the work products. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government.)
