HUD AWARDS OVER $300,000 IN GRANT TO COMBAT HOUSING DISCRIMINATION IN MISSISSIPPI

JACKSON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded $325,000 to the Fair Housing Center for the Gulf Coast Region to assist people in Mississippi who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination.

The Gulf Coast Fair Housing Center (GCFHC) will use grant funds to provide fair housing enforcement and education/outreach services to Mississippians. GCFHC activities will include: recruiting and training testers for lending and REO testing and conducting paired tests; intake and processing new complaints/inquiries alleging violations of fair housing laws including fair lending; analyzing lender/servicer businesses in lending, loan modification, and mortgage rescue to determine violations, if any; conducting systemic investigation of lenders, servicers, or mortgage rescue programs to determine violations of fair lending laws via terms and conditions; investigating the nature and extent of discrimination against women in loan origination; assisting individuals making fair housing complaints based on discrimination affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community which might amount to illegal sex discrimination; creating a targeted lending discrimination campaign utilizing social networking sites; and holding a fair housing conference.

"These federal grants are essential to ending housing discrimination through a unique federal grant support to private fair housing education and enforcement," said HUD Southeast Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr. "We are laser focused on attacking and ending housing discrimination."

The competitive grants are funded through HUD's Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP), and are part of nearly $41.18 million distributed nationwide to 99 fair housing organizations and other non-profit agencies in 35 states and the District of Columbia. The grants will be used to enforce the Fair Housing Act through investigation and testing of alleged discriminatory practices, and to educate housing providers, local governments and potential victims of housing discrimination about their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act. HUD had over $70 million in requests for FHIP, but funded only $41 million.

FHEO and its partners in the Fair Housing Assistance Program investigate more than 9,300 housing discrimination complaints annually. People who believe they are the victims of housing discrimination should contact HUD at (800) 669-9777 (voice), or (800) 927-9275 (TTY).

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on twitter @HUDnews, on facebook at www.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD's News Listserv.