Fair Housing Initiatives Program (14.408)

 

Program

14.408 Fair Housing Initiatives Program

 

Federal Agency

OFFICE OF FAIR HOUSING AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

 

Authorization

Housing and Community Development Act of 1987, Section 561, Public Law 100-242, as amended; Housing and Community Development Act of 1992, Section 905, Public Law 102-550, 101 Stat. 1815.

 

Program Number

14.408

 

Last Known Status

Active

 

Objectives

To develop, implement, carry out, or coordinate programs and/or activities to educate the public about, as well as provide enforcement of, fair housing rights under the Fair Housing Act; 42 U.S.C. 3601-3619 or State or local laws that provide substantially equivalent rights and remedies for alleged discriminatory housing practices. Objectives include provisions for strengthening existing fair housing enforcement organizations as well as establishing new ones.

 

Types of Assistance

Project Grants.

 

Uses and Use Restrictions

Financial assistance is provided for projects to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices. Eligible projects and activities must be conducted in accordance with procedures contained in 24 CFR Part 125 and in an annual Notice of Funding Availability. Financial assistance is provided for projects to affirmatively further fair housing conducted by public or private entities. However, fair housing enforcement projects, including those to support the continued development of existing fair housing organizations and to establish new ones, may only be awarded to fair housing enforcement organizations under the Fair Housing Act or State or local laws that provide substantially equivalent rights and remedies for alleged discriminatory housing practices. Education and outreach projects may generally be awarded to a wider variety of organizations including public or private-for-profit or not-for-profit organizations or institutions, or other public or private entities that are working to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices, as well as faith- based community-based organizations and State or local government agencies.

 

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

State and local government agencies, public or private nonprofit organizations or institutions and other public or private entities that are formulating or carrying out programs to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices. Applicants for funding of testing activities must have at least one year of experience in complaint intake, complaint investigation, testing for fair housing violations, and enforcement of meritorious claims. Applicants for funding of testing activities must certify that they will not solicit funds from or seek to provide services or products for compensation to any person or organization which has been the subject of testing by the applicant for a 12-month period following a test. Fair housing enforcement organizations and nonprofit groups organizing to build their capacity to provide fair housing enforcement are also eligible applicants.

Beneficiary Eligibility

Any person or group of persons aggrieved by discriminatory housing practices because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin. Also, any person or group of persons, including landlords and real estate agents, to prevent discriminatory housing practices because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin.

Credentials/Documentation

Costs for State and local government units will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87. Costs for applicants that are private nonprofit entities will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-122. Costs for applicants that are educational institutions will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-21. Applicants must provide verification of 501(c)(3) status. Applicants for funding of testing activities must certify that they will not solicit funds from or seek to provide services or products for compensation to any person or organization which has been the subject of testing by the applicant for a 12-month period following a test.

 

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Not applicable. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure

Applications must be submitted in accordance with requirements and forms provided in the Notice of Funding Availability. State and local government applicants must use the standard forms as furnished by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No. A-102. Nonprofit entities and institutions of higher education must use standard forms as furnished by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No. A-110.

Award Procedure

Applications will be evaluated competitively and awarded points based on the Selection Criteria included in the Notice of Funding Availability. The final decision rests with the Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity or her/his designee.

Deadlines

Contact the appropriate office identified in the Notices of Funding Availability within the time frames specified in the Notices.

 

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Appeals

Not applicable.

Renewals

Not applicable.

 

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

This program has no statutory formula.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Funding is in accordance with requirements and forms provided in the Notice of Funding Availability with project periods generally ranging from 12 to 60 months. Assistance provided quarterly or as specified in the grant agreement.

 

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Quarterly progress reports will be required. Additionally, State and local governments must submit all reports required pursuant to OMB Circulars A-102 and A-133. Educational institutions and private nonprofit organizations must submit all reports required pursuant to OMB Circulars A-110 and A-133.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records

Not applicable.

 

Program Accomplishments

HUD has awarded grants to affirmatively further fair housing in the amounts indicated above. Grants emphasized all by discrimination categories or bases including race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin. Enforcement related activities resulted in fair housing cases. Many of these cases were settled, achieving relief for the complainants and commitments to conduct activities that would further fair housing. FHIP grantees referred cases for settlement to both HUD and the State and local agencies, as well as to private attorneys, the courts and the Department of Justice.

 

Financial Information

Account Identification

86-0144-0-1-751.

Obligations

FY 02 $23,935,000; FY 03 est $20,250,000; and FY 04 est $20,250,000.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

Not applicable.

 

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

24 CFR Part 125, Fair Housing Initiatives Program.

 

Related Programs

14.401, Fair Housing Assistance Program_State and Local; 14.402, Non-Discrimination in Federally- Assisted Programs (On the Basis of Age).

 

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

HUD Field Office Fair Housing Enforcement Center or Program Operations and Compliance Center: Director, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity in the appropriate HUD Office listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog.

Headquarters Office

Myron Newry, Director, FHIP/FHAP Support Division, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW., Room 5224, Washington, DC 20410. Telephone: (202) 708-2288, ext. 7095. E-mail: Myron_Newry@hud.gov.

Web Site Address

http://www.hud.gov/progdesc/fheoindx.html

 

Examples of Funded Projects

The types of projects funded included activities for discovering and providing remedies for fair housing discrimination; conducting investigations of housing discrimination, including systemic discrimination; conducting testing or other investigative support for administrative and judicial enforcement of fair housing laws; and linking fair housing organizations regionally in enforcement activities. Additional projects funded included activities for establishing new fair housing enforcement organizations; discovering and providing remedies for fair housing discrimination; conducting investigations of housing discrimination; and building the capacity of existing organizations to provide fair housing enforcement. Other projects included activities providing fair housing information to the public through public service announcements, advertisements, posters and brochures; providing fair housing counseling services; and developing fair housing training for educational institutions and members of the housing industry on fair housing rights and responsibilities.

 

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

The selection criteria that will be considered in reviewing applications will be included in the Notices of Funding Availability.