Fair housing organizations and other non-profits that receive funding
through the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) assist people
who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination.
FHIP organizations partner with HUD to help people identify government
agencies that handle complaints of housing discrimination. They
also conduct preliminary investigation of claims, including sending
"testers" to properties suspected of practicing housing discrimination.
Testers are minorities and whites with the same financial qualifications
who evaluate whether housing providers treat equally-qualified people
differently.
In addition to funding organizations that provide direct assistance
to individuals who feel they have been discriminated against while
attempting to purchase or rent housing, the FHIP program has four
initiatives that promote fair housing laws and equal housing opportunity
awareness.
Type
of Assistance under FHIP:
Three
FHIP Initiatives provide funds, competitive grants to eligible organizations:
FHOI, PEI, and EOI.
- The Fair Housing Organizations Initiative (FHOI) provides
funding that builds the capacity and effectiveness of non-profit
fair housing organizations by providing funds to handle fair housing
enforcement and education initiatives more effectively. FHOI also
strengthens the fair housing movement nationally by encouraging
the creation and growth of organizations that focus on the rights
and needs of underserved groups, particularly persons with disabilities.
- The Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI) offers a range
of assistance to the nationwide network of fair housing groups.
This initiative funds non-profit fair housing organizations to
carry out testing and enforcement activities to prevent or eliminate
discriminatory housing practices.
- The Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) offers a
comprehensive range of support for fair housing activities, providing
funding to State and local government agencies and non-profit
organizations for initiatives that explain to the general public
and housing providers what equal opportunity in housing means
and what housing providers need to do to comply with the Fair
Housing Act.
- The Administrative Enforcement Initiative (AEI) helps
State and local governments who administer laws that include rights
and remedies similar to those in the Fair Housing Act implement
specialized projects that broaden an agency's range of enforcement
and compliance activities. No funds are available currently for
this program.
Eligible Grantees:
- FHIP-FHOI: Applicants must be qualified fair housing
enforcement organizations with at least two years of experience
in complaint intake, complaint investigation, testing for fair
housing violations, and meritorious claims in the three years
prior to the filing of their application.
- FHIP-PEI: Fair housing enforcement organizations that
meet certain requirements related to the length and quality of
previous fair housing enforcement experience may apply for FHIP-PEI
funding.
- FHIP-EOI: State or local governments, qualified fair
housing enforcement organizations (those with at least 2 years
of experience), other fair housing organizations, and other public
or private nonprofit organizations representing groups of persons
protected by the Fair Housing Act may apply for FHIP-EOI funding.
Eligible Activities:
- FHIP-FHOI: Grants may be used flexibly to support the
basic operation and activities of new and existing non-profit
fair housing organizations.
- FHIP-PEI: Funds such activities as conducting complaint-based
and targeted testing and other investigations of housing discrimination,
linking fair-housing organizations in regional enforcement activities,
and establishing effective means of meeting legal expenses in
support of fair housing litigation.
- FHIP-EOI: Funds a broad range of educational activities
that can be national, regional, local, or community-based in scope.
Activities may include developing education materials, analyzing
local impediments to housing choice, providing housing counseling
and classes, convening meetings that bring together the housing
industry with fair housing groups, developing technical materials
on accessibility, and mounting public information campaigns. National
projects that demonstrate cooperation with the real estate industry
or focus on resolving the community tensions that arise as people
expand their housing choices may be eligible to receive preference
points.
Technical Guidance:
FHIP is authorized under Section 561 of the Housing and Community
Development Act of 1987 (42 U.S.C. 3616; P. L. 100-242), as amended
by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992. Program regulations
are at 24 CFR Part 125. FHIP initiatives are administered by HUD's
Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Contact one of HUD's
10 regional Fair Housing Program Operations and Compliance Centers
or contact Myron Newry,
Director, FHIP Support Division, at (202) 708-2215.
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