HUD PARTNERS WITH ASIAN REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA TO COMBAT HOUSING AND LENDING DISCRIMINATION

LOS ANGELES - Today the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development entered into a new partnership with the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) agreement to address housing and lending discrimination
facing Asian and Pacific Islanders. Following a ceremony to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, HUD heard from Asian American and Pacific Islander community leaders and members about current housing issues in the community.

The events are part of HUD's programs to commemorate May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and to
better serve the growing Asian Pacific American communities. While the rate of housing discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is comparable to that experienced by other groups, only 1% of HUD's Fair Housing complaints involve Asian Pacific American complainants. The partnership agreement is designed to educate Asian American and Pacific Islander community members and the housing industry about rights and responsibilities under
the law and improve HUD's capacity to prevent discrimination, enforce the law and serve this growing community.

"HUD's work to end discrimination will be stronger as a result of this partnership," said Trasviña. "Today we made progress toward closing the gaps in America's promise of fair housing for all. More Asian Americans will become
aware of their right to fair housings and more members of the real estate community will become aware of the
barriers still facing Asian Americans in our housing market."

"As real estate professionals serving the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, we recognize that the fair and equitable treatment of our clients begins with us," noted John Fukuda, chairman of the Asian Real Estate Association of America. "It is our collective duty to ensure that members of the communities we represent are fully aware of their rights, and that violations of these rights are reported more frequently than they have been in the past. We are encouraged by this partnership with HUD as another significant step toward ending discrimination in
the home buying process."

HUD's Housing Discrimination Study 2000 found that Asian Americans and Pacific Islander homebuyers experience consistent adverse treatment 20.4 percent of the time, about the same as African American (17%) and Hispanic (20%) home seekers, with systemic discrimination occurring in housing availability, inspections, financing assistance, and agent encouragement. Asian American and Pacific Islander populations in the United States are at historically
high levels, having increased by 27 percent since the 2000 Census, to over 14 million.

A primary goal of FHEO is to serve all communities, and, in furtherance of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
to ensure that language proficiency is not a barrier to HUD services, HUD has translated more than 100 vital documents into 16 different languages for foreign born and non-English speaking individuals, including five Asian languages: Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

AREAA promotes sustainable homeownership opportunities in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities by serving as a national voice for real estate professionals serving this market, advocating for policies that reduce homeownership barriers facing Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and increasing business opportunities for mortgage and real estate professionals serving AAPI communities.

The Memorandum of Understanding commits HUD to ensure that Housing Counseling Grant Program grantees provide language services to AAPI persons, seek AREAA guidance on cultural sensitivity when translating vital documents,
and conduct joint seminars and workshops on ways to identify unlawful sales, rental and lending discrimination and what members of the AAPI community should do if they face discrimination.

AREAA commits to develop and promote programs that emphasize the benefits of fair housing to real estate professionals, develop programs to educate AAPI communities about fair housing, and work with HUD and other agencies to support fair housing and fairness in processing complaints.

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HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to sustaining homeownership; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.