Funding will support and promote fair housing nationwide.
Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $31.7 million from its FY 2024 budget to support 75 fair housing organizations across the nation through the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP). These funds are being directed to second- and third-year multi-year grantees of the Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI) to continue their ongoing fair housing enforcement endeavors on a national scale.
The grant funds will empower the recipients to carry out fair housing enforcement through a range of activities, including conducting thorough investigations, implementing fair housing testing to uncover instances of discrimination in both rental and sales markets, and taking the necessary steps to file fair housing complaints either with HUD or equivalent state and local agencies. The grantees will also engage in educational and outreach initiatives to educate the public, housing providers, and local government bodies about the rights and obligations outlined in the Fair Housing Act and the fair housing services that grantees provide.
“Ensuring fair access to quality and affordable housing for people who have been historically discriminated against is one of the foundations of our mission,” said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “As part of our commitment to promote inclusive communities around the country, we support local governments and private organizations to ensure they have the tools they need to enforce the Fair Housing Act. Today’s awards are providing significant resources to our private partners on the ground.”
HUD is also extending financial support to an additional five grantees — the Family Housing Advisory Services, Rogers Park Community Council, Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence (HOPE), Inc., Intermountain Fair Housing Council, Inc., and Fair Housing Council of Riverside County, Inc. under the Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) component — using $500,000 in unspent funds from the FY 2023 budget.
“The Fair Housing Initiative Program continues to be a bedrock for empowering our state and local partners in advancing fair housing at the grassroots level,” said Diane M. Shelley, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “The funds provided today will drive meaningful progress and create lasting positive impact within the communities we serve.”
HUD is awarding grants in these categories:
Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI) – This initiative funds non-profit fair housing organizations to conduct testing and enforcement activities to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices.
Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) – This program offers support for fair housing activities that educate the public and housing providers about equal opportunity in housing and compliance with the fair housing laws.
A state-by-state breakdown of the PEI and EOI awardees is available here.
People who believe they are the victims of housing discrimination should contact HUD at (800) 9669-9777 (voice) or (800) 927-9275 (TTY). More information is available at hud.gov/fairhousing.