The purpose of this program is to support fair housing organizations and other nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to individuals who believe that they have been victims of housing discrimination. Funding must be used to carry out enforcement activities to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices and inform individuals of their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act.
Funding will be provided for the following program components:
- (Part A): Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI)
- (Part B): Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI)
- (Part C): Fair Housing Organizations Initiative (FHOI)
The purpose of the Fair Housing Organizations Initiative (FHOI) component is to build the capacity of organizations to become a viable fair housing enforcement organization.
Examples of eligible activities for continued development of existing eligible organizations include:
- Change from a fair housing education organization to one which will include an enforcement staff
- Assess more sources of expertise or technical assistance, such as hiring persons with investigative skills or legal expertise in lending to work in the organization
- Provide continuing support to organizations recently established under the Establishing New Organization Component (ENOC)
- Expand testing expertise and experience
Projects that are located in communities with preferred sustainability status, or in Promise Zones, will receive additional consideration through this program. Refer to pages 41-42 of the NOFA file for additional information.