NEW JERSEY ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVE HUD GRANTS TO HELP FIGHT HOUSING DISCRIMINATION

NEWARK - The Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey today received a grant of $275,000 to protect fair
housing rights, and Citizens Action of New Jersey received a grant of $100,000 to help eradicate predatory lending practices. These organizations were selected by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which awarded 88 grants totaling $17.1 million to recipients in 37 states and the District of Columbia, to help fight housing discrimination. (Additional information about the New Jersey grants follows.)

"Last year there were a record 10,328 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 (FHEO). "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."

The grants, funded through HUD's Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP), will be used to investigate allegations of housing discrimination, educate the public and the housing industry about their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act, and work to promote equal housing opportunities.

This year's grants were awarded under one of two initiatives:

• Private Enforcement Initiative grants (PEI) - HUD awarded $14 million to help groups investigate alleged housing discrimination, and enforce the Fair Housing Act and state and local laws that are substantially equivalent to the Act.

• Education and Outreach Initiative grants (EOI) - HUD awarded $3.1 million to groups that educate the public and housing providers about their rights and obligations under federal, state, and local fair housing laws.

FHEO and its partners in the Fair Housing Assistance Program investigate approximately 10,000 housing
discrimination complaints annually. People who believe they are the victims of housing discrimination should contact HUD at (800) 669-9777 (voice), (800) 927-9275 (TTY). Additional information is available at www.hud.gov/fairhousing. Stay on top of the most up-to-date news regarding the Fair Housing Act by signing up
for the FHEO RSS Feed.

FHIP 2007 New Jersey Grantees

Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey (FHCNNJ) will conduct a rigorous statewide fair housing investigation project that will involve training 90 testers, conducting approximately 540 rental/sales matched pair tests, and distributing 6,000 fair housing flyers to community groups, faith-based organizations, local shops and markets, and other places people congregate. The project will also involve taking steps to protect the fair housing rights of minorities, persons with disabilities, and families with limited English proficiency.

Citizens Action of New Jersey, Newark, NJ
Education and Outreach Initiative - General Component
Award Amount: $100,000

The Citizens Action of New Jersey (CANJ) will work to eradicate predatory lending practices, including recent
abusive trends within the subprime market, by conducting four train-the-trainer workshops for 60 community leaders and 125 consumer education workshops for low- and moderate-income minorities, seniors, disabled adults, Spanish-speaking individuals, and persons with Limited English proficiency. CANJ will also develop and distribute multi-media
kits for fair housing trainers and computer tutorials for general audiences.

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