FEDERAL AGENCY:

OFFICE OF FAIR HOUSING AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

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.

OBJECTIVES:

To develop, implement, carry out, or coordinate programs or activities designed to obtain enforcement of the rights granted by the Fair Housing Act or by substantially equivalent State and local fair housing laws.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:

Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:

Financial assistance is provided for specialized projects conducted by State and local fair housing agencies certified by HUD as "substantially equivalent." Such projects are to obtain better administrative enforcement of equivalent State and local fair housing laws. All projects should strengthen and/or broaden the range of enforcement and compliance activities conducted by State and local agencies.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:   State and local fair housing agencies that administer laws certified by HUD pursuant to 24 CFR Part 115, as substantially equivalent to the Fair Housing Act.

Beneficiary Eligibility:   Any person or group of persons aggrieved by discriminatory housing practices because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.

Credentials/Documentation:   Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87.

Pre-application Coordination:   Not applicable. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:   Not applicable.

Award Procedure:   Applications will be evaluated competitively and awarded points based on the Selection Criteria included in the Notice of Funding Availability and Application Kit. The final decision rests with the Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity or her/his designee.

Deadlines:   Contact the appropriate office identified in the Notices of Funding Availability within the time frames specified in the Notices.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:   2 to 6 months.

Appeals:   Not applicable.

Renewals:   Not applicable.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:   Not applicable.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:   Up to eighteen months as requested in application and specified in grant agreement. Assistance provided quarterly or as specified in the grant agreement.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:   Quarterly progress reports will be required. Additionally, all reports pursuant to OMB Circular Nos. A-102 and A-133 will be required.

Audits:   In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records:   Not applicable.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

Account Identification:   86-0144-0-1-751.

Obligations:   (Grants) FY 01 $0; FY 02 est $0; and FY 03 est $0.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  
$125,000-$2,000,000.

This initiative has not been funded since fiscal year 1995 but remains authorized and could be funded at a later date.

REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:

OMB Circular No. A-133, 24 CFR Part 115, Certification and Funding of State and Local Fair Housing Enforcement Agencies; 24 CFR Part 125, Fair Housing Initiatives Program.

INFORMATION CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:   See Regional Agency Offices.

Headquarters Office:   Paula Stone 451 7th Street, S.W. Room 5222 Washington, D.C. 20410, Washington, District of Columbia 20410 Email: Paula.Stone@hud.gov Phone: 202 402-7054

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

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:

The types of projects funded included activities for addressing new and sophisticated forms of discrimination; targeting systemic discrimination; and utilizing enhanced automation systems to streamline fair housing complaint processing and investigation.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:

The selection criteria that will be considered in reviewing applications will be included in the Notices of Funding Availability.