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Kaptur Announces $425,000 in Federal Funds for Toledo’s Fair
Housing Center
Funds will be used to
strengthen efforts to prevent and eliminate housing
discrimination in Toledo
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur
(OH-09), senior member of the House Appropriations
Committee, last week announced $425,000 in federal funds for
The Fair Housing Center in Toledo to strengthen its work to
prevent and eliminate housing discrimination. The funds were
allocated through the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP).
Of the $425,000, $300,000
will be administered through FHIP’s Private Enforcement
Initiative (PEI) grant, which funds non-profit housing
organizations to carry out testing and enforcement
activities to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing
practices, while $125,000 will be administered through
FHIP’s Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) grant, which
funds local government and non-profit fair housing
organizations that educate the public and housing providers
about equal opportunity in housing and compliance with fair
housing laws.
“I am so grateful for the
important work The Fair Housing Center carries out on a
daily basis to prevent and eliminate housing discrimination
in our community,” said Rep. Kaptur. “Discriminatory housing
practices continue to be a barrier for many who seek
housing.
“Thankfully, The Fair Housing Center has been there to
educate housing providers, provide resources to individuals
who’ve faced housing discrimination, and hold bad actors
accountable when necessary. This federal support will help
the nationally recognized Fair Housing Center continue its
important mission successfully. Due to inexcusable delays
from HUD in getting resources to the ground where they are
needed, The Fair Housing Center was forced to cut workers’
hours and salaries as they waited for HUD. I look forward to
meeting with the President and CEO of The Fair Housing
Center later this week to hear from them directly and find
ways we can work together to ensure HUD is held to account
in turning these grants around on time.”
“Like other fair housing
organizations across the country, our staff has had to make
sacrifices to continue to do this important work during a
six-month gap in funding,” said President and CEO of the
Fair Housing Center Marie Flannery. “I am grateful to our
staff and Board for their dedication and to our community
for their support. Knowing that this critical HUD funding is
on the way means that we can advance our efforts to
eliminate housing discrimination and create welcoming
neighborhoods of opportunity. The Fair Housing Center fully
supports Congresswoman Kaptur’s efforts to ensure continued
federal funding for these vital enforcement and education
activities so that everyone in our community may choose
where they live, free from harassment and discrimination.”
Fair housing organizations
and other non-profits that receive funding through the Fair
Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP), such as The Fair Housing
Center, 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, FHIP also has
initiatives that promote fair housing laws and equal housing
opportunity awareness.
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