High Point City Council approves adoption of fair housing ordinance

High Point City Council unanimously approved a fair housing ordinance on Monday as part of its consent agenda that would allow local officials to investigate residents' concerns about discriminatory practices.

The city of High Point has referred multiple fair housing complaints to the North Carolina Human Relations Commission since July 1. A new ordinance now sets out the process for how these disputes could be brought before the city's staff.

High Point Human Relations Manager Rase McCray says local officials believed having someone at the community level to address concerns was needed.

"We think it's important that our residents, and our landlords, our tenants, our realtors, anyone who's working in housing, can contact someone locally where it's someone whose office they could walk into," he says. "That promotes a lot of access for everyone involved in housing."

According to the ordinance, an investigation will be initiated within 30 days of a complaint being filed with High Point's Human Relations Division. It would also give the city the power to issue subpoenas and demand documentation.

High Point will next submit the ordinance to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for approval.