HUD CELEBRATES FAIR HOUSING MONTH
Annual celebration of "Fair Housing Education Week" is one of the month's highlights

WASHINGTON - In recognition of Fair Housing Month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced its annual celebration of "Fair Housing Education Week" on April 20-24, 2009. Intended for 5th through 8th grade students, this national education project will give teachers, parents and their children a basic understanding of the Fair Housing Act.

HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) and its fair housing partners will visit schools across the country to instruct students about their fair housing rights. Using a lesson plan that HUD developed, instructors will guide students through the principles of equal opportunity in housing.

"Starting the conversation about fair housing at a young age will teach our children about housing discrimination and hopefully with understanding to help in eradicating it," said Bryan Greene, HUD's General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. "It's crucial that future generations of renters, home buyers, landlords, realtors, and lenders know about the Fair Housing Act and know what to do when faced with housing discrimination."

April's Fair Housing Month celebration recognizes the enactment of the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. The activities and programs are designed to promote fair housing and to educate people about the rights of the federal Fair Housing Act that state it is illegal to discriminate in housing based on families with children, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, or sex.

FHEO and its partners in the Fair Housing Assistance Program investigate over 10,000 housing discrimination complaints annually. People who believe they are the victims of housing discrimination should contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777 (voice), 800-927-9275 (TTY). Additional information is available online. Stay on top of the most up-to-date news regarding the Fair Housing Act by signing up for the FHEO RSS Feed at the website.

To see a listing of participating schools please visit online. And if your school is interested in participating please contact your local HUD Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity office.

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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.