Olympia City Council proclaims April as Fair Housing Month 

The Olympia City Council signed a proclamation designating April 2025 as Fair Housing Month to highlight the continued importance of addressing housing discrimination and promoting equal housing opportunities for all residents.  

At a city council meeting on Tuesday, April 8, Council member Clark Gilman read the proclamation, which commemorated the Fair Housing Act enacted on April 11, 1968, and recognized the persistent challenges of housing discrimination and segregation. 

"The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin and disability, and commits recipients of federal funding to affirmatively further fair housing in their communities," states the proclamation.  

Thurston County and its municipalities, including Olympia, have taken collaborative steps to address housing inequities. Through a comprehensive, countywide Assessment of Fair Housing, local governments have worked together to identify systemic barriers and develop regional strategies to promote housing access and equity.  

Olympia, along with other local jurisdictions, participated in the Black Home Initiative, which aims to create more equitable pathways to homeownership for Black residents.  

Adria Buchanan, the Executive Director of the Fair Housing Center of Washington, provided insights into the ongoing challenges of housing discrimination.  

Representing an organization that serves 23 counties across Western and Central Washington, Buchanan explained their multiple approaches to ensuring housing equity.  

She detailed the center's work, which includes a "secret shopper" program that tests housing access by assigning investigators different profiles. When discriminatory practices are discovered, the center may file complaints against housing providers.  

Buchanan underscored the importance of fair housing advocacy, by sharing an example of a hapless 80-year-old woman facing immediate housing displacement.  

She said the woman's apartment complex was condemned by a city, but not Olympia.

"This individual has until the end of the week to move out of her unit and to figure out where she's going to live. This is compounded by the fact that she's 80 years old, and she's disabled," Buchanan said.

"She is telling me, please make sure that you can call the shelters and see if there's a bed available. She's saying, 'I'm used to having a hard life. I may have to be in an uncomfortable situation, but I want to make sure that I have a roof over my head at least.' These are the stories that we hear every day," said Buchanan, who expressed appreciation of the proclamation.  

"We all know that affordable housing is a challenge, but I appreciate the work that the City of Olympia is doing to make sure that housing is being built appropriately with the appropriate permits," Buchanan added.