Fair Housing Organizaiton Initiatives (14.417)

Program

14.417 Fair Housing Organizaiton Initiatives

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 Development Act of 1992, Section 905, Public Law 102-550, 101 Stat. 1815.

Program Number

14.417

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

To assist in the organizing of fair housing enforcement in order to develop, implement, carry out, or coordinate programs and/or activities that 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

Cooperative Agreements

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.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

None

Beneficiary Eligibility

None

Credentials/Documentation

Costs for applicants that are private nonprofit entities will be determined in
accordance with OMB Circular No. A-122. 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. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.

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

OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. OMB Circular No. A-110 applies to this program. Applications must be submitted in accordance with requirements and forms provided in the Notice of Funding Availability as published in the Federal Register. 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 published 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 headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Two to six months.

Appeals

Two to six months.

Renewals

None.

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

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: Grant.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Program reports are not applicable. Cash reports are not applicable. Quarterly progress reports will be required. 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. .

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 and build the capacity of existing fair housing organizations. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Financial Information

Account Identification

86-0144-0-1-751.

Obligations

(Project Grants (Contracts)) FY 08 $0; FY 09 est $2,100,000; FY 10 est $8,000,000

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

Not applicable.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

24 CFR Part 125, Fair Housing Initiatives Program.

Related Programs

14.408 Fair Housing Initiatives Program

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

See Regional Agency Offices. 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 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

No Data Available

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. 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.