On September 2, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Fair Housing Project has been awarded two grants, totaling $500,000, to continue its fair housing enforcement and education work throughout the state in the coming year.
Through its Private Enforcement Initiative grant, Legal Aid will continue to provide legal assistance to individuals who have experienced housing discrimination; conduct education and outreach training events for housing consumers, community advocates, landlords, and local government officials; conduct undercover fair housing testing; and develop and distribute educational materials in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and French.
Under the Education and Outreach Initiatives grant, Legal Aid will conduct education and outreach training events, including programs for individuals with disabilities and their advocates; conduct targeted community engagement listening sessions on fair housing needs, including issues of gentrification and the obligation of local governments to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing; and develop and distribute print and digital information, and educational materials.
Jeffrey Dillman, Co-Director of the Fair Housing Project, said of the award, “North Carolina residents continue to experience housing discrimination throughout the state, and too many of our communities remain segregated. We appreciate HUD’s continued support of the Fair Housing Project’s work to fight housing discrimination across North Carolina. With this funding, we will continue to advocate for and empower individuals and communities in order to defend the right of all North Carolinians to fair and decent housing free from discrimination.”
The Fair Housing Project is headquartered in Durham and operates statewide. It is the only private fair housing enforcement organization providing comprehensive fair housing services to residents throughout North Carolina. Since being established in 2011, the Fair Housing Project has obtained more than $7 million in relief for victims of housing discrimination.
To contact the Fair Housing Project, call toll-free (855) 797-3247. Read the HUD press release announcing grant awards around the country.
