Marvin Cox, community outreach director with the Metropolitan Action Commission on June 25, in Nashville. As temperatures reached into the upper 90s, the Metro Action Commission was offering free window AC units to seniors, families with young children and people with medical conditions. Mark Humphrey/AP hide caption
People shop for air conditioners during a heat wave last week in New York City. Many people who live in public housing can't afford such units or the utility bills that come with them — and there's no federal requirement for air conditioning. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption
A number of studies have found that Black-owned homes are undervalued when compared to those of white homeowners. This is especially true in historically Black neighborhoods. A 2018 report by the Brookings Institution finds that adds up to $156 billion in cumulative losses for Black homeowners. Les Hirondelles Photography/Getty Images hide caption
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says it is the first department to implement Biden's executive order to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Housing discrimination against communities of color also involves lenders, local zoning laws and other issues, says Andre Perry, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Dan Brandenburg/Getty Images hide caption
Details about the forthcoming assistance for earthquake victims remain vague but a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency told NPR the funds will be released "on an ongoing basis." Carlos Giusti/AP hide caption
President Trump's administration is releasing billions of dollars in hurricane relief for Puerto Rico that was supposed to be released by September. Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A Transportation Security Administration employee stands at a booth to learn about a food stamp program at a food drive at Newark Liberty International Airport, on Jan. 23, 2019, in Newark, N.J. A number of new rules and actions proposed by the Trump administration could affect poor or low-income people who use government safety net programs. Julio Cortez/AP hide caption
Wanda Onafuwa says a house next door to her in Baltimore fell into disrepair after Bank of America foreclosed on the property. Courtesy of Wanda Onafuwa hide caption
HUD Secretary Ben Carson is portraying the proposed change as a way to help low-income Americans who are in need of housing assistance. Shannon Finney/Getty Images hide caption
"Facebook is discriminating against people based upon who they are and where they live," Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said in a statement. Carlos Osorio/AP hide caption
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is looking into whether Facebook violated fair housing laws. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP hide caption
Ben Carson, the Housing and Urban Development secretary, said the Obama-era Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule "impeded the development and rehabilitation of affordable housing." Carlos Osorio/AP hide caption
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson arrives to testify at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee on Capitol Hill on June 27, 2018. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption
A damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Punta Diamante, Puerto Rico on Sept. 21, 2017. On Monday, Gov. Ricardo Rossello said the majority of federal recovery grants would go toward rebuilding homes and businesses. Jorge A Ramirez Portela/AP hide caption
A woman pushes her cart full of belongings along the street past tents on the sidewalk near skid row in downtown Los Angeles in June. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Cairo, Ill., is one of the fastest depopulating communities in the nation, with abandoned buildings throughout the river town. The federal government plans to demolish two public housing projects where many of the remaining residents live. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson drew controversy last month when he said in a radio interview that "poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind." Chris Carlson/AP hide caption