The purpose of mmfhc's proposed project, entitled investigative support for testing and enforcement programs (istep), is to achieve greater consistency in the quality of fair housing testing…

The Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, Inc. (MMFHC) was awarded a $500,000 Project Grant under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Fair Housing Organization Initiatives (CFDA 14.417) program. The purpose of this 18-month grant, entitled "Investigative Support for Testing and Enforcement Programs (ISTEP)", is to achieve greater consistency in the quality of fair housing testing investigations, enhance the capacity of participating FHIP-funded testing organizations to conduct testing and enforcement activities, and assist HUD in enforcing the Federal Fair Housing Law and affirmatively furthering fair housing. Key activities include providing comprehensive basic and specialized training programs on fair housing testing for test coordinators, offering technical assistance to meet the needs of fair housing testing organizations, and delivering additional educational opportunities such as webinars and access to a fair housing attorney. The expected outcomes are to increase the capabilities of test coordinators, expand the capacities of FHIP-funded organizations to conduct effective testing, achieve greater consistency in testing quality, and assist HUD's enforcement efforts.

Activities

Mmfhc consultants will use a variety of instructional methods to provide comprehensive basic and specialized (advanced) training programs on fair housing testing for test coordinators and offer technical assistance to meet the needs of fair housing testing organizations over an 18-month period. Additional educational opportunities will be offered throughout the project period, including three webinars on specialized topics, access to an experienced fair housing attorney, a briefing session for executive directors and/or program supervisors, as well as technological tools and resources for test coordinators. The project will also use an array of evaluation tools to assess the impact and effectiveness of the project activities and the future training needs of fhip-funded testing organizations.

Expected outcomes

Test coordinators will enhance their capability to coordinate tests; fhip-funded organizations will increase their capacities to conduct effective testing to enforce fair housing laws; there will be greater consistency in the quality of testing conducted by fhip-funded testing organizations; and, assist HUD in enforcing the federal fair housing law and affirmatively fair housing.

Intended beneficiaries

Test coordinators and other staff from fhip-funded testing organizations.