Commission on Human Rights Awarded $99,800

A Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) grant check in the amount of $99,800 was presented to the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights (KCHR) during their January 2008 board meeting. The purpose of the grant is to conduct fair housing education and outreach in Kentucky. HUD Louisville Field Office Director Krista Mills acknowledged the significant contributions and impact of the Commission during the celebration and while also commemorating this year as the 40th anniversary of the federal Fair Housing Act.

HUD Louisville Field Office Director Krista Mills presents Commissioner Henry Curtis, Chair, and Executive Director John Johnson of the Kentucky Human Rights Commission a Fair Housing Initiatives Program check in the amount of $99,800 along with Vicki Ray, Director of the HUD Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Louisville Program Center.

"The Kentucky Commission on Human Rights is proud to be a recipient of this HUD FHIP grant that will allow us to provide critical programming as Kentucky looks to a bright future founded on a wealth of diversity and cooperation," said Executive Director John Johnson.

Specific activities that the commission will accomplish with the FHIP grant include conducting a series of workshops designed to educate persons with disabilities, housing providers, mortgage lenders, housing advertisers, and underserved immigrant communities in Eastern and Southern Kentucky about the Fair Housing Act. As part of its education effort, KCHR will translate fair housing materials into Vietnamese, French, Russian, and Arabic languages, and distribute the materials at international/immigrant group festivals, health fairs and housing fairs. KCHR will also conduct a fair housing conference in both Eastern Kentucky and Bowling Green and will produce and distribute fair housing posters.

In fiscal year 2007, HUD awarded 88 grants totaling $17.1 million awarded to recipients in 37 states and the District of Columbia to help fight housing discrimination.

"In 2007 there were over 10,000 housing discrimination complaints filed with HUD and its state and local partners," said Kim Kendrick, HUD's assistant secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. "These grants will allow us to continue with efforts to educate the public and the housing industry about their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act."

Find out more about HUD's Fair Housing Programs at www.hud.gov and KCHR at kchr.ky.gov/.