Funding News

Washington- The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) made an announcement today stating that it is making an additional investment of $3.4 Billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to extend support to HUD’s Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) agencies to overcome housing discrimination due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The discrimination can be based on the assumption that someone might have Covid or has suffered eviction because of having no income during the pandemic.

Consequently, HUD is coming forward to ensure that people are not discriminated against on such grounds when looking for housing. This is the fourth round of ARP funding emphasizing on Covid-19 related housing discrimination. FHIP agencies were also awarded more than $16 million to address the unequal impact of Covid-19 had on low-income communities and other vulnerable populations.

It is the FHIP’s education and outreach initiative through which the funding is awarded. The eligible organizations for funding can use the money to develop, implement and coordinate education and outreach programs and inform the public about their rights and obligations under the Fair Housing Act.

HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary thinks that many communities have experienced the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the American Rescue Plan initiated a fight against housing discrimination by providing the desired financial resources. The available funds will ensure that state or local partners provide educational resources and restore the lives of people who are experiencing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the help of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) programs, 2 Million homeowners were able to stay in their homes with FHA mortgages. FHA borrowers’ ability to make mortgage payments was impaired due to the covid-19 pandemic. Thankfully, FHA borrowers either secured a Covid-19 forbearance or a loan modification that allowed them to avoid foreclosure. The funding available can be used to provide fair housing education and outreach services through mass media and training.

The education and outreach grants available these days include:

ARP National Media Campaign Component- Here, funds are provided to the eligible organizations to enable them to create multi-faceted media campaigns which in turn will address housing discrimination in underserved communities.

ARP regional/local/general- The funds are provided to prevent and respond to the fair housing-related effects of the Covid-19 pandemic by offering enhanced infrastructure and fair housing education and outreach services.

Interested applicants can apply for funding by visiting the site www.grants.gov and obtaining a copy of the notice of funding opportunity. Visit HUD’s official website to find additional information concerning the same.