Fair Housing Outreach and Assisted Housing Counseling

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Fair Housing Initiatives Program—Education and Outreach Initiative. FHIP–EOI is designed to increase the understanding of the general public and key housing market actors regarding their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act through national, regional, local, and community-based activities. EOI provides funding to State and local governments and other public or private nonprofit organizations for products and activities intended to explain what equal opportunity in fair housing means and what it requires in the sale, rent, and/or financing of housing; other real-estate-related transactions; and accessibility requirements for new construction. Eligible activities include:

• Holding educational forums.
• Duplication of existing fair housing materials.
• Providing fair housing counseling services.
• Conducting outreach and providing information on fair housing through printed and electronic media.
• Developing or implementing Fair Housing Month activities.

Fair Housing Initiatives Program—Private Enforcement Initiative. FHIP–PEI provides funding to fair housing enforcement organizations for a broad range of activities related to enforcing fair housing laws. These activities include:

• Testing specific landlords suspected of housing discrimination.
• Testing for discriminatory patterns in an entire housing market.
• Developing Joint Enforcement Project partnerships to focus on systemic investigations of housing discrimination.
• Providing counseling and referral for persons alleging discrimination.
• Mediating allegations of housing discrimination.
• Producing training materials and events for housing consumers, providers, and enforcement officials.
• Other activities designed to promote awareness of fair housing rights and remedies.

Fair Housing Initiatives Program—Fair Housing Organizations Initiative. FHIP–FHOI is designed to promote the creation and growth of organizations that focus on fair housing rights and needs of underserved populations. FHOI provides funding to: 1) qualified fair housing enforcement organizations to support the creation of new fair housing enforcement organizations in underserved areas of the country or 2) qualified fair housing enforcement organizations, fair housing enforcement organizations, and non-profit groups to expand their ability to provide fair housing enforcement services that address the needs of persons with disabilities.

Housing Counseling Program. HCP has three strategic goals: (1) improving the quality of renter and homeowner education, (2) developing a reliable stream of funding and resources for counseling agencies, and (3) enhancing coordination among local housing providers. HCP funds HUD-approved local housing counseling agencies; national, regional, or multistate intermediaries; and state housing finance agencies that provide counseling services. HUD-approved local housing counseling agencies or state housing finance agencies and their affiliates use the funds to provide advice to tenants and homeowners with respect to property maintenance, financial management, and other matters that relate to improving housing conditions and meeting the responsibilities of tenancy and homeownership. In addition, HUD-approved counseling agencies are permitted and encouraged to conduct community outreach activities with the objective of increasing awareness of homeownership opportunities and improving access of low- and moderate-income households to sources of mortgage credit.

A portion of HCP funding is set aside for national, regional, and multistate housing counseling organizations (that is, intermediaries or umbrella groups) and state housing finance agencies whose primary responsibility is to manage the use of HUD housing counseling funds by affiliated local housing counseling organizations. The local affiliates of the intermediaries and state housing finance agencies must use the funds for affirmative marketing or actions to reduce concentrations of poverty and/or minority populations.