U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Press Release

HUD Awards Nearly $825,000 to the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council

Funds will be used to fight housing discrimination in Wisconsin

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it is awarding nearly $825,000 under HUD’s Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) to the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council to fight housing discrimination. See chart below for a listing of grant recipients and 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.”

“Leveling the playing field and ending housing discrimination are at the core of our mission at HUD,” said HUD Midwest Regional Administrator Antonio R. Riley.  “This local funding will help support community-based organizations that are on the front lines in the fight for equity in our nation’s housing market.”

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, which can be accessed through Apple devices, such as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

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<

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

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

Mentioned in This Press Release

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