The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced at the end of last week that it will send $250,000 to the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County.
The funds are part of $2.5 million in funds going to “11 HUD Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) agencies combat housing discrimination related to the COVID-19 pandemic” which will “focus directly on the unequal impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on communities of color, low-income communities, and other vulnerable populations.”
“As we embark on our new normal, our country has sadly carried the housing discrimination of old with it. While dealing with the struggles the pandemic has brought, too many residents have also had to suffer through the harms discrimination brings,” said Demetria McCain, HUD’s principal deputy assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity. “The funds provided today will ensure that our fair housing partners have the financial resources they need to oppose discriminatory practices in the communities they serve.”
“The funding is awarded to FHIP agencies that will provide resources and support to victims of housing discrimination who have been hit the hardest during the COVID-19 pandemic. FHIP agencies will use the funding to conduct housing education and outreach activities and to address fair housing inquiries, complaints, and investigations,” HUD noted. “Another $3,285,353 in ARP funding will be made available to eligible applicants that did not receive funding in the first and second allocation rounds.”
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