HUD Archives: News Releases


HUD No. 15-121
Elena Gaona
(202) 708-0685
For Release
Wednesday
September 30, 2015

HUD AWARDS $38 MILLION TO MORE THAN 100 GROUPS TO FIGHT HOUSING DISCRIMINATION

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it is awarding more than $38 million under HUD's Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) to over 100 groups across the nation to fight housing discrimination.See chart below for a listing of grant recipientsand read summaries here of the activities these organizations will conduct with the grants.

The funding provided through the competitive grants will help to support a range of fair housing enforcement efforts, including fair housing testing, as well as activities that help educate the public, housing providers and local governments about their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act.

"Combating housing discrimination requires the aggressive enforcement of the nation's fair housing laws, but HUD can't do it alone," said HUD's Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Gustavo Velasquez. "The funding we are announcing today will enable organizations committed to justice and equality to support our efforts to ensure that everyone has equal access to available housing opportunities."

The categories of grant awards are:

  • Private Enforcement Initiative grants (PEI) - These awards help non-profit fair housing enforcement organizations carry out investigations and other enforcement activities to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices.
     
  • Education and Outreach Initiative grants (EOI) - HUD awards these grants to groups that educate the public and housing providers about their rights and responsibilities under federal law or state and local fair housing laws that are substantially equivalent to the Fair Housing Act.
     
  • Fair Housing Organizations Initiative grants (FHOI) - HUD awards these grants to help build the capacity and effectiveness of non-profit fair housing organizations to continue and enhance enforcement of the Fair Housing Act..

The 2015 FHIP Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) established the following six new components:

Under Fair Housing Organizations Initiative grants:

  • Special Emphasis Component - This grant will strengthen the enforcement activities and capacity building efforts of organizations and help them pursue cases that investigate systemic patterns of discrimination.
  • National/Regional Testing Component - This grant will enable organizations to develop and support a national/regional testing program to identify discrimination in rental and sales transactions.

Under Education and Outreach Initiative grants:

  • National Programs Component - Sex Discrimination - This grant will enable organizations to conduct education and outreach projects that counter sex discrimination in housing, including domestic violence, sexual harassment, gender stereotyping or discrimination based on gender identity.
  • National Programs Component - Sex/Familial Status Discrimination - This grant will enable organizations to conduct education and outreach projects that focus on one or more forms of sex or familial status discrimination.
  • National Programs Component - National Origin Discrimination - This grant will enable organizations to address one or more forms of national origin discrimination in rental, sales, or lending.
  • National Programs Component - Disability Discrimination - This grant will enable organizations, using the results of recent discrimination studies, to conduct education and outreach activities that address discrimination based on disability, particularly discrimination experienced by individuals with mobility impairments, hearing impairments, and cognitive or mental disabilities.

Persons who believe they have experienced discrimination may file a complaint by contacting HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777 (voice) or (800) 927-9275 (TTY). Housing discrimination complaints may also be filed by going to www.hud.gov/fairhousing, or by downloading HUD's free housing discrimination mobile application, whichcan be accessed through Apple devices, such as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and http://espanol.hud.gov.

You can also connect with HUD on social media and follow Secretary Castro on Twitter and Facebook or sign up for news alerts on HUD's Email List.

FY 2015 Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) Grant Awards
State Recipient City
Amount
Alabama Central Alabama Fair Housing Center Montgomery
$279,171
  Mobile Fair Housing Center, Inc. Mobile
$279,467
Alaska Alaska Legal Services Corporation Anchorage
$325,000
Arizona Arizona Fair Housing Center Phoenix
$320,430
  Southwest Fair Housing Council Tucson
$280,000
  Southwest Fair Housing Council Tucson
$499,890
California Bay Area Legal Aid Oakland
$325,000
  California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. Oakland
$280,000
  CSA San Diego County El Cajon
$288,673
  Fair Housing Council of Central California Fresno
$319,892
  Fair Housing Council of Riverside County, Inc. Riverside
$270,895
  Fair Housing of Marin San Rafael
$324,998
  Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc. (GBLA) Bakersfield
$266,015
  Greater Napa Valley Fair Housing Center Napa
$279,467
  Inland Mediation Board Ontario
$325,000
  Legal Aid Society of San Diego, Inc. San Diego
$323,491
  Orange County Fair Housing Council, Inc. Santa Ana
$280,000
  Project Sentinel  Inc. Santa Clara
$325,000
  Southern California Housing Rights Center Los Angeles
$325,000
  Southern California Housing Rights Center Los Angeles
$467,747
Colorado Denver Metro Fair Housing Center Denver
$279,784
Connecticut Connecticut Fair Housing Center Hartford
$350,000
  Connecticut Fair Housing Center Hartford
$280,000
  Connecticut Fair Housing Center, Inc. Hartford
$500,000
Delaware Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. Wilmington
$322,449
District of Columbia Equal Rights Center, Inc. Washington
$325,000
  National Community Reinvestment Coalition, Inc. Washington
$324,365
  National Fair Housing Alliance Washington
$324,867
  National Fair Housing Alliance Washington
$999,988
Florida Bay Area Legal Services, Inc. Tampa
$325,000
  Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, Inc. Daytona Beach
$325,000
  Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches, Inc. Lantana
$277,896
  Fair Housing Continuum, Inc. Melbourne
$325,000
  Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence, Inc. Miami
$325,000
  Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc. Jacksonville
$424,979
  Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Inc. West Palm Beach
$325,000
Georgia JCVision and Associates, Inc. Hinesville
$163,383
  Metro Fair Housing Services, Inc. Atlanta
$280,000
  Savannah-Chatham County Fair Housing Council, Inc. Savannah
$248,063
Hawaii Legal Aid Society of Hawaii Honolulu
$350,000
Idaho Intermountain Fair Housing Council, Inc. Boise
$258,755
Illinois Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago Chicago
$325,000
  Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Chicago
$325,000
  HOPE Fair Housing Center West Chicago
$325,000
  HOPE Fair Housing Center West Chicago
$348,839
  John Marshall Law School Chicago
$279,980
  Open Communities Winnetka
$316,389
  Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. Rockford
$325,000
  South Suburban Housing Center Homewood
$325,000
Indiana Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana, Inc. Indianapolis
$325,000
  Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana, Inc. Indianapolis
$174,005
Kentucky Lexington Fair Housing Council, Inc. Lexington
$324,673
Louisiana Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center Inc. New Orleans
$500,000
  Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center Inc. New Orleans
$305,670
  Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, Inc. New Orleans
$325,000
Maine Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Inc. Portland
$325,000
Maryland Baltimore Neighborhoods, Inc. Baltimore
$325,000
Massachusetts Community Legal Aid, Inc. Worcester
$324,214
  Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston Boston
$324,673
  Housing Discrimination Project Inc. Holyoke
$325,000
  Suffolk University Boston
$324,998
Michigan Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit Detroit
$310,270
  Fair Housing Center of Southwest Michigan Kalamazoo
$325,000
  Fair Housing Center of West Michigan Grand Rapids
$325,000
  Fair Housing Center Southeastern Michigan Ann Arbor
$324,944
  Legal Services of Eastern Michigan Flint
$322,047
Minnesota Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance Minneapolis
$325,000
Missouri Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing & Opportunity Council St. Louis
$324,996
Montana Montana Fair Housing, Inc. Butte
$205,838
Nebraska Family Housing Advisory Services, Inc. Omaha
$325,000
Nevada Silver State Fair Housing Council Reno
$325,000
New Hampshire New Hampshire Legal Assistance Concord
$266,766
New Jersey Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey Hackensack
$302,487
New York Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A Brooklyn
$350,000
  CNY Fair Housing, Inc. Syracuse
$325,000
  Fair Housing Justice Center New York
$324,737
  Fair Housing Justice Center, Inc. New York
$349,999
  Housing Opportunities Made Equal Inc. Buffalo
$325,000
  Legal Assistance of Western NY Rochester
$298,000
  Long Island Housing Services, Inc. Bohemia
$325,000
  MFY Legal Services, Inc. New York
$325,000
  Queens Legal Services Corporation Jamaica
$325,000
  South Brooklyn Legal Services Brooklyn
$325,000
  Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. White Plains
$280,000
North Carolina Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc. Raleigh
$325,000
North Dakota High Plains Fair Housing Center Grand Forks
$149,881
Ohio Fair Housing Contact Service, Inc. Akron
$325,000
  Fair Housing Resource Center, Inc. Painesville
$325,000
  Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Greater Cincinnati Cincinnati
$324,530
  Fair Housing Opportunities of Northwest Ohio Toledo
$280,000
  Housing Research and Advocacy Center Cleveland
$325,000
  Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, Inc. Dayton
$325,000
Oklahoma Metropolitan Fair Housing of Oklahoma, Inc. Oklahoma City
$324,479
Oregon Fair Housing Council of Oregon Portland
$325,000
  Legal Aid Services of Oregon Portland
$325,000
Pennsylvania Fair Housing Council of Suburban Philadelphia, Inc. Fort Washington
$325,000
  Fair Housing Rights Center in Southeastern Pennsylvania Philadelphia
$325,000
  Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services, Inc Washington
$325,000
  Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services, Inc. Washington
$100,000
South Carolina Center for Community and Economic Development, Inc. DBA CCEDU North Charleston
$100,000
  South Carolina Fair Housing Center, Inc. Columbia
$280,000
Tennessee Tennessee Fair Housing Council, Inc. Nashville
$270,895
  West Tennessee Legal Services, Inc. Jackson
$325,000
Texas Austin Tenants Council, Inc. Austin
$324,742
  Greater Houston Fair Housing Center, Inc. Houston
$325,000
  National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders San Antonio
$500,000
  North Texas Fair Housing Center Dallas
$325,000
  San Antonio Fair Housing Council, Inc. San Antonio
$375,000
Utah Disability Law Center Salt Lake City
$234,297
Vermont Vermont Legal Aid, Inc. Burlington
$325,000
Virginia Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, Inc. Richmond
$325,000
Washington Fair Housing Center of Washington Tacoma
$325,000
  Northwest Fair Housing Alliance Spokane
$325,000
  Northwest Fair Housing Alliance Spokane
$500,000
  Northwest Fair Housing Alliance Spokane
$500,000
West Virginia Northern West Virginia Center For Independent Living Morgantown
$324,956
Wisconsin Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council Milwaukee
$325,000
  Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council Milwaukee
$499,939
  TOTAL:
$38,366,909

 

 
Content Archived: February 7, 2017