How U.S. Department Of Housing And Urban Development’s $22M In Grants Could Help Fight Housing Discrimination

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is trying move forward in ending racial discrimination in America’s housing system by funding more than $22 million in grants.

Nearly one year after a damning analysis found Navy Federal Credit Union rejected more than half of its Black conventional mortgage applicants; it appears the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is trying to move forward in ending racial discrimination in America’s housing system.

HUD is investing more than $22 million in fair housing organizations nationwide to support fair housing education, outreach, testing, and enforcement activities to address housing discrimination.

“At HUD, one of the cornerstones of our mission is to root out all forms of discrimination in housing so that no one is treated unfairly,” HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman said in a news release. “To accomplish this mission, we work with local partners from coast to coast. The $22 million we are making available today will give even more support to our partners as they enforce the Fair Housing Act.”

HUD touts that the grant money will help organizations develop and coordinate education and outreach programs to inform the public about its rights under the Fair Housing Act and provide fair housing training for eligible organizations. The funds allocated to enforcement could be the most helpful.

More than $3 million will be allocated to eligible organizations to build their capacity to conduct fair housing enforcement-related activities or establish new organizations to engage in fair housing work, particularly in unserved and underserved communities. Over $9 million will be awarded to organizations to conduct testing, investigate violations, and obtain enforcement of the rights under the Fair Housing Act or equivalent state and local laws.

“HUD’s partnership with fair housing organizations is critical to ensuring fair housing awareness and enforcement of our laws,” said HUD Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Diane M. Shelley. “The grants made possible by this funding will strengthen this partnership and ensure that fair housing reaches all of our communities.”