Chicago Fair Housing Advocates Receive New HUD Grants

Left to right in this picture are Florentina Rendon, Outreach Coordinator, HOPE Fair Housing Center, Clyde Murphy, Executive Director, Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, Jeffrey Harkin, Compliance Program Attorney, South Suburban Housing Center, Professor F. Willis Caruso, Supervising Attorney, John Marshall Law School, Fair Housing Legal Clinic, Joseph P. Galvan, HUD Midwest Regional Director and Professor Michael Seng, Executive Director, The John Marshall Law School, Fair Housing Legal Clinic.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Midwest Regional Director Joseph P. Galvan announced on January 12, 2005 grants totaling $859,244 to four Chicago area fair housing advocates to fight housing discrimination through education and outreach.

In a special event at Chicago's John Marshal Law School, Galvan presented ceremonial checks to representatives of the agencies; the John Marshal Fair Housing Legal Clinic, Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, HOPE Fair Housing Center (Wheaton) and The South Suburban Housing Center (Homewood).

In his remarks Galvan noted that, "We've seen a 13% increase in reported complaints as a result of an aggressive education and outreach effort that HUD launched last year. These fair housing advocates will build on that effort." He said, "The funds we provide today will help ensure that all people, regardless of their background or where they come from, have the right to live wherever they choose.

The John Marshall Law School (Chicago) will use its $219,668.80 grant to continue its broad-based, full-service program that is operated through its Fair Housing Legal Clinic.

The Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights will use its $219,988.80 grant to increase awareness of fair housing rights, empower victims to report incidents of discrimination, develop credible evidence to support discrimination complaints, and provide relief to discrimination victims in Cook County.

With its $219,586.40 grant, HOPE Fair Housing Center (Wheaton) will continue to aggressively expand its comprehensive enforcement program in the suburban areas of DuPage, Kane, McHenry, and northwestern and western Cook counties.

The South Suburban Housing Center (Homewood) will use its $200,000 grant to implement necessary actions toward ensuring that the housing markets serving the south metropolitan region are open and free of discriminatory practices impacting African-Americans, Latinos, the disabled, and all other protected groups who pursue housing in these suburban areas.

Galvan previously announced $80,000 to Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. (Rockford) to fight housing discrimination through education and outreach in 35 counties in northern and central Illinois, including Galesburg, Waukegan, Peoria and Rock Island, and $86,400 to the Statewide Independent Living Council in Springfield for its Homeownership Coalition Program.

The funding is provided through HUD's Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP). Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson announced $17.6 million in grants to 106 fair housing groups nationwide to support private fair housing groups to investigate allegations of housing discrimination, educate the housing industry and public about housing discrimination laws, and work to promote fair housing.

The Fair Housing Act bars housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, family status and national origin. The Act covers the sale, rental, financing and advertising of almost all housing in the nation. HUD investigators conduct fair housing investigations in addition to state and local agencies and private fair housing groups that receive HUD funds.

Anyone who believes they have experienced housing discrimination is asked to call HUD's Housing Discrimination Hotline at (800) 669-9777, TDD (800) 927-9275. They can also file a complaint on the HUD website.