HUD Awards $37 Million to Fair Housing Organizations to Fight Housing Discrimination

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it is awarding $37 million to more than 150 national and local fair housing organizations to fight housing discrimination under its Fair Housing Initiative Program (FHIP).  The FHIP, which is managed by the HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, provides funding to fair housing organizations and other non-profits who assist people who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination.  The FHIP is the only federal grant program whose purpose is to support private partnerships in preventing and overcoming housing discrimination.

According to HUD, these grants will allow the recipient organizations to provide fair housing enforcement through testing in the rental and sales market, to file fair housing complaints to HUD, and to conduct investigations.  In addition, the education and outreach activities these organizations conduct will help to educate the public, housing providers, and local governments about their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act.

According to HUD, the types of grants announced as part of the $37 million award are: (i) education and outreach initiative grants; (ii) fair housing organization initiative grants; and (iii) private enforcement initiative grants.