HUD Fair Housing Event with Clark Atlanta University brings Students and Local Fair Housing Leaders Together

Carlos Osegueda, HUD Region IV Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Director

Most recently HUD Region IV Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr, Carlos Osegueda, HUD Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) Director, Region IV joined Dr. Joseph Silver, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Clark Atlanta University. They introduced over 40 students and dozens of local area Fair Housing leaders in discussions about fair Housing and Equal Opportunity during Fair Housing Month.

Hosted in partnership with Clark Atlanta University, attendees were provided updates on the general principles/background and history of Fair Housing from Ashley Boone, Attorney, Metro Fair Housing Services, Inc. They also received the Department of Justice' viewpoint concerning Fair Housing Discrimination by Aileen Bell-Hughes, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice. These were followed by Teresa Chappell, Deputy Director, Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity providing an update on the State of Fair Housing in Georgia. It concluded with Susan Reif, Housing Attorney, Georgia Legal Services Program discussing Fair Housing Enforcement. At the conclusion of each presentation there were lively questions and answers sessions.

The day's events concluded with two panel discussions. The first panel entitled Community, Empowerment, and Fair Housing consisted of Dr. Joyce Dorsey, President and CEO, The Fulton Atlanta Community Action Authority (FACAA), Rachel Allen, Branch Chief, Program Support Division, HUD Atlanta Homeownership Center and Ashley Boone, Attorney, Metro Fair Housing Services, Inc.

Clark Atlanta University students attending HUD Fair Housing Program on Campus

The second panel entitled Justice, Empowerment, and Fair Housing consisted of Bonita Howard-Gaskin, Equal Opportunity Specialist, HUD FHEO, Kristen Files, Equal Opportunity Specialist, HUD FHEO and Kirk Ashmeade, Equal Opportunity Specialist, HUD FHEO.

Valecia Bello, Chief, Programs and Compliance Branch, HUD FHEO provided closing remarks.

More information about:

• Clark Atlanta University (http://www.cau.edu/)

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