Friday, October 23, 2026HUD Announces Voluntary Compliance Agreement with Multnomah County, Oregon

WASHINGTON - Today, HUD announced that Multnomah County, Oregon, and the Multnomah County Homeless Services Department have agreed to stop dispensing assistance to the county's homeless population based on race, color, and national origin in violation of the Fair Housing Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In May, HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) launched an investigation into Multnomah County for prioritizing its residents for homelessness services using a DEI points system that picked winners and losers based on unlawful considerations. In record time, HUD, along with its federal partners, investigated and resolved the matter.

With this Voluntary Compliance Agreement (VCA), the county is required to remove intake questions and scoring rubrics that prioritize applicants for housing assistance based on race, color, and national origin; to rescore applicants who may have been excluded based on their race or American national origin; and to ensure relevant employees and service providers receive fair housing training. HUD will continue to monitor the county for compliance.

"HUD is ensuring that local governments use federal dollars to serve vulnerable citizens based on need, not new forms of unlawful DEI discrimination," said Secretary Turner. "This agreement shows that no recipient of HUD funds is above the law."

"Discrimination does not become lawful because it is smuggled into a scoring system, screening tool, or bureaucratic workaround," said Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Craig Trainor. "I commend Multnomah County for dispensing with political theater and meeting its obligations under federal civil rights laws. We urge all recipients of federal funds to follow its lead."

The county's "Multnomah Services and Screening Tool" created a "Priority Housing Pool" for housing resources and awarded points to applicants for "interest in culturally specific services" and speaking "English as a second language," which appeared to be proxies for race and national origin.

The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. Title VI prohibits racial and national origin discrimination in "any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." FHEO enforces the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Violence Against Women Act, among other civil rights laws.

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