United States Senate WASHINGTON, DC 20810 March 20, 2015 ‘The Honorable Susan Collins ‘The Honorable Jack Reed Chairman Ranking Member ‘Subcommittee on Transportation, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Housing, and Urban Development ‘Committee on Appropriations ‘Committee on Appropriations United States Senate United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman Collins and Ranking Member Reed, Our nation’s housing market is on the road to recovery and families across the country stay hopeful that they will find safe, affordable homes that meet their needs. In addition to the various everyday pressures that families facc, an estimated 4 million people each year are victims of housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, family status, or disability. Every American should have equal access to the housing of their choice. Fortunately, the Fair Housing Act protects families from housing discrimination and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has demonstrated a commitment to achieving an inclusive housing market, But, given our nation’s diverse housing markets, HUD has come to rely on its local partners who know their neighborhoods to provide the education and investigations necessary to address housing discrimination in every community. Last year, local partners who received grant funding through the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) provided the outreach, education, and investigations necessary for HUD to enforce the Fair Housing Act in communities across the county. FHIP is a competitive grant program that provides fair housing education, fair and equitable development for the communities they work in, and enforcement of our fair housing laws. In FY 2014, HUD awarded FHIP grants to more than 100 fair housing organizations and projects in 43 states and the District of Columbia, Using FHIP Education and Outreach Initiatives (EOD) funding, FHIP grant recipients empower their communities to recognize discrimination by educating the publie about their rights to housing choice free from discrimination, FHIP Grantees also train local housing providers, real estate professionals, and neighborhood lenders about their responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act. Groups that receive funding through the Fair Housing Organizations Initiative (FHOI) are able to start organizations in communities with no place to go when someone experiences housing discrimination, or expand existing fair housing education and enforcement where greater services are necessary, Many groups that receive funds through the Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI) are the first line of contact for families who believe they have experienced housing discrimination, These groups investigate initial claims of housing discrimination and provide testing of housing sites. Through early research and testing, PEI grant recipients ensure that onlyinstances of real housing discrimination are brought to HUD or other local or state civil rights agencies that adjudicate discrimination through the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP), FHIP grantees perform needed investigations into discrimination claims, and HUD has recognized that cases referred by FHIP agencies are twice as likely to result in a settlement or charges of a violation, opening up countless units of housing for every complaint of discrimination they receive from FHIP groups. FHIP is a small but mighty program, helping local private fair housing groups provide essential services that protect the rights of millions and ensure that federal dollars invested in HUD and FHAP fair housing enforcement actions are spent effectively. Given the demonstrated need to ‘address housing discrimination and the value that the FHIP program provides, we urge the Subcommittee to provide $45.6 million in funding for FHIP in FY 2016. ‘The Subcommittee must make difficult decisions, but we believe that FHIP is an essential program that ensures every one of our constituents has a fair shot at the home of their dreams in the neighborhood of their choice. FHIP is a critical component of our nation’s civil rights infrastructure and it provides retums far beyond this small investment. Thank you for your consideration of this request and your support of efforts to end housing discrimination, Sincereh