Fair Housing Initiatives Program (14.408)

Program

14.408 Fair Housing Initiatives Program

Federal Agency

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office: Office Of Fair Housing And Equal Opportunity

Authorization

Housing and Community Development Act of 1987, Section 561, Public Law 100-242, as amended; Housing and Community 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 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 for enforcement related activities 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. Also, their testing methodology must
be approved by HUD before being implemented. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Preapplication coordination is not applicable. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure

This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. OMB Circular No. A-110 applies to this program.

Award Procedure

Deadlines

Oct 01, 2009 Contact the appropriate office identified in the Notices of Funding Availability within the time frames specified in the Notices.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Two to six months.

Appeals

Two to isx months.

Renewals

Not Applicable.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

Statutory formulas are not applicable to this program.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this program.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this program.

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 36 months. Assistance provided quarterly or as specified in the grant agreement. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Grants.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Program reports are not applicable. Cash reports are not applicable. 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, and reporting under Form HUD 96010. Expenditure reports are not applicable. 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, and reporting under Form HUD 96010.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records

None.

Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2008: FHIP funds are used to increase compliance with the Fair Housing Act and with substantially equivalent fair housing laws. HUD has awarded grants to affirmatively further fair housing in the amounts indicated above. Grants were competitively awarded to emphasize enforcement and education and outreach activities based on the protected bases including race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status and national origin. For FY 2008 approximately 94 grants were awarded. Enforcement related grants were given to assist private, tax exempt fair housing enforcement organizations in the investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of the Act and substantially equivalent State and local fair housing laws. Education and outreach grants were given to assist projects that inform the public about their rights and obligations under the Act and substantially equivalent State and local fair housing laws. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Financial Information

Account Identification

86-0144-0-1-751.

Obligations

(Cooperative Agreements) FY 08 $1,510,000; FY 09 est $50,701,000; FY 10 est $44,500,000. (Cooperative Agreements) FY 08 $1,200,000; FY 09 est $1,200,000; FY 10 est $1,320,000 - New BA.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

No Data Available.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

24 CFR Part 125, Fair Housing Initiatives Program.

Related Programs

14.401 Fair Housing Assistance Program_State and Local

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

See Regional Agency Offices.

Headquarters Office

Myron Newry 451 7th Street, S.W., Room 5224, Washington, District of Columbia 20410 Email: Myron.P.Newry@hud.gov Phone: 202 402-7095

Web Site Address

http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/partners/FHIP/fhip.cfm.

Examples of Funded Projects

Fiscal Year 2008: 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. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

The selection criteria that will be considered in reviewing applications will be included in the Notices of Funding Availability, as published in the Federal Register.