HUD No. 04-001MI Anne Scherrieb (312) 353-6236 ext. 2666 |
For
Release Monday January 12, 2004 |
BUSH ADMINISTRATION AWARDS $17.6 MILLION IN FAIR HOUSING
GRANTS TO CONTINUE FIGHT AGAINST HOUSING BIAS
Legal Services of Eastern Michigan (Flint) Receives $161,438.04
CHICAGO - The Department of Housing and Urban Development
announced today it has awarded $17.6 million in grants to fair housing
groups in 39 states and the District of Columbia as part of the
Bush Administration's efforts
to curb housing discrimination.
"Today's announcement is another step toward ensuring that Americans have equal access to safe and affordable housing," said HUD Acting Secretary Alphonso Jackson. "We will not allow discrimination to stop families across this nation from living in any home, apartment or neighborhood they can afford."
The grants were awarded today by HUD's Fair Housing Initiatives
Program to groups that will use the funds to investigate allegations
of housing discrimination, educate the public and housing industry
about housing
discrimination laws, and work to promote fair housing.
"Until every door that today stands closed has been opened,
until all families live in the homes of their dreams, in
the neighborhoods
of their choice, we must work to ensure that all housing is fair
housing," said Joseph P. Galvan, HUD Regional Director for
the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin).
Legal Services of Eastern Michigan (LSEM), a 52-year-old
history of serving Genesee County, will receive $161,438.04
(PEI) to deliver free, civil legal services to residents of
Bay, Midland, and Saginaw counties. From
two sites (Flint and Saginaw),
individuals, families, and housing industry professionals will receive
outreach and education services to raise their awareness of anti-discrimination
laws and enforcement initiatives that offer relief
to victims of
housing discrimination. All protected classes will benefit from
outreach and complaint-based testing
that is also slated for Huron,
Lapeer, Sanilac, and Tuscola counties. With local community- and
faith-based
agencies and local governments and businesses, the 1-year
project will leverage its resources to conduct testing, complaint
intake, investigation, enforcement, and limited research.
Three types of grants were awarded to groups in 96 cities:
- Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI) grants - About
$10.2 million was awarded to assist private,
tax-exempt fair housing enforcement organizations in the investigation and enforcement of alleged
violations of the Fair Housing Act and State and local fair housing laws.
- Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) grants -
About $5.3 million was allocated to groups to
educate the public about the rights and obligations under federal, state and local fair housing laws.
Nearly $800,000 went to ten groups that focus on the needs of persons with disabilities.
- Fair Housing Organizations Initiative (FHOI) grants -
About $2.1 million was awarded for projects
that serve rural and immigrant populations in underserved areas or where there currently is no existing
fair housing organization.
In 2002, HUD released a study titled Discrimination in Metropolitan
Housing Markets: Phase I, which documented
that despite a decline
during the last decade, housing discrimination still exists at unacceptable
levels. Last year, HUD, in partnership with The Advertising Council
and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, recently
released an award-winning, edgy multimedia campaign designed to
fight housing discrimination by showing the many faces of those
persons protected by the nation's 35-year-old Fair Housing Act.
HUD received applications from 215 groups seeking grants for the
fiscal year 2003 assistance. Grants were awarded
to 121 projects
in the following locations:
Alabama | $685,405
|
Minnesota | $365,729
|
|
Arkansas | $140,055
|
Missouri | $306,489
|
|
Arizona | $507,453
|
Mississippi | $379,812
|
|
California | $1,880,232
|
North Carolina | $80,000
|
|
Colorado | $80,000
|
Nebraska | $265,114
|
|
Connecticut | $203,252
|
New Jersey | $466,156
|
|
District of Columbia | $466,142
|
New Mexico | $179,840
|
|
Delaware | $204,004
|
Nevada | $80,000
|
|
Florida | $1,591,754
|
New York | $1,277,993
|
|
Georgia | $79,999
|
Ohio | $1,318,804
|
|
Iowa | $79,632
|
Oklahoma | $69,974
|
|
Idaho | $286,471
|
Oregon | $286,198
|
|
Illinois | $1,341,843
|
Pennsylvania | $1,753,994
|
|
Indiana | $79,896
|
South Carolina | $80,000
|
|
Kansas | $132,581
|
Tennessee | $366,489
|
|
Kentucky | $384,484
|
Texas | $779,720
|
|
Louisiana | $80,000
|
Virginia | $130,126
|
|
Massachusetts | $538,048
|
Vermont | $145,028
|
|
Maryland | $77,712
|
Washington | $80,000
|
|
Michigan | $161,438
|
Wisconsin | $206,489
|
For other states, individual project summaries by city and state are on the Internet.
Since the program's inception in 1989, nearly $226 million has been awarded to some 1070 organizations. Twenty eight organizations selected for this year's awards are first-time applicants.
HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership,
particularly among minorities; 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 as
well as enforces
the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its
programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.
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