Project Grant FEOI230020

PURPOSE: PURPOSE THE LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF PALM BEACH COUNTY, INC., PROPOSES TO SERVE THE FAIR HOUSING EDUCATION AND OUTREACH NEEDS OF PALM BEACH, HENDRY, OKEECHOBEE, ST. LUCIE AND MARTIN COUNTIES THROUGH SUPPORT OF HUD'S FY 2022-2026 STRATEGIC PLAN. BY ADDRESSING THE FIVE-COUNTY SERVICE AREA'S IMPEDIMENTS TO FAIR HOUSING CHOICE, THIS PROPOSAL WILL CREATE THREE INITIATIVES FOCUSING ON SPECIFIC TYPES OF ISSUES FACED BY VULNERABLE POPULATIONS IN THEIR QUEST TO SECURE SAFE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING; ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED UNDERSERVED INDIVIDUALS LIVING IN UNDERSERVED AREAS THROUGHOUT THE FIVE-COUNTY SERVICE AREA (PALM BEACH, MARTIN, ST. LUCIE, OKEECHOBEE AND HENDRY COUNTIES OF FLORIDA) WHO EXPERIENCE HOUSING DISCRIMINATION NEED EDUCATION AND OUTREACH INFORMATION REGARDING THEIR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THE FAIR HOUSING ACT IN ORDER TO FIND AND MAINTAIN SAFE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING. TO ADDRESS THIS NEED, THE GOAL OF THE LEGAL AID SOCIETY'S EDUCATION AND OUTREACH INITIATIVE-GENERAL COMPONENT PROJECT WILL BE TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WHO OBTAIN AND MAINTAIN SAFE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING BY PROVIDING EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES FOCUSED ON PREVENTING OR ELIMINATING DISCRIMINATORY HOUSING PRACTICES. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON THREE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES WHICH HAVE BEEN DESIGNED TO RESULT IN MEASURABLE, RELIABLE, VALID DATA. THE THREE OBJECTIVES AND THEIR CORRESPONDING ACTIVITIES, DELIVERABLES AND ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1) COMBAT HOUSING DISCRIMINATION, SPECIFICALLY ANTISEMITISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA RELATED DISCRIMINATION, BY EDUCATING PROTECTED INDIVIDUALS ABOUT THEIR FAIR HOUSING RIGHTS AND ASSISTING RELIGIOUS CONGREGATIONS WITH IDENTIFICATION AND ISSUE-SPOTTING OF RELIGIOUS RELATED HOUSING DISCRIMINATION. FAIR HOUSING PROJECT STAFF WILL DEVELOP EDUCATION EVENTS AND RESOURCE MATERIALS TARGETING INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY BE VICTIMS OF RELIGIOUS RELATED HOUSING DISCRIMINATION, IN PARTICULAR ANTISEMITISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA. THE CAMPAIGN WILL ALSO WORK WITH RELIGIOUS LEADERS TO EDUCATE THEM ABOUT RELIGIOUS RELATED FAIR HOUSING DISCRIMINATION. TO REINFORCE THE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH COMPONENT OF THE CAMPAIGN, FAIR HOUSING PROJECT STAFF WILL CREATE A TOOLKIT FOR CONGREGATIONS TO ASSIST THEM IN IDENTIFYING AND ISSUE SPOTTING RELIGIOUS RELATED HOUSING DISCRIMINATION. OBJECTIVE 1: TO ADDRESS HATE, HARASSMENT AND RELIGIOUS RELATED HOUSING DISCRIMINATION, IN PARTICULAR ANTISEMITISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA RELATED DISCRIMINATION, OF INDIVIDUALS WHO SEEK TO ENFORCE THEIR FAIR HOUSING RIGHTS; EXPECTED OUTCOMES: AT LEAST 75 INDIVIDUALS WILL PARTICIPATE IN AT LEAST TWO (2) SUBSTANTIVE WORKSHOPS. DELIVERABLE 1: AT LEAST ONE (1) BROCHURE WILL BE DEVELOPED COVERING THE FAIR HOUSING RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS LIVING IN COMMUNITIES SLATED FOR COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AND THEIR RIGHTS TO EXPANDED HOUSING OPPORTUNITY. DELIVERABLE 2: AT LEAST ONE (1) ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER WILL BE DEDICATED TO PROVIDING INFORMATION AND RESOURCES REGARDING FAIR HOUSING RIGHTS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, HOUSING AUTHORITY PERSONNEL AND HOUSING DEVELOPERS. OUTCOME: BASED ON THE RESULTS OF WORKSHOP SURVEYS, RESIDENTS IN NEIGHBORHOODS TARGETED FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WILL INCREASE THEIR ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE WHEN THEIR FAIR HOUSING RIGHTS ARE BEING VIOLATED AND HOW TO SEEK HELP TO REDRESS THOSE VIOLATIONS. 3) IMPROVE FAIR HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS IN THE COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEM: FAIR HOUSING PROJECT STAFF WILL WORK TO REMEDY ANOTHER UNMET NEED BY SUPPORTING LOCAL PARTNERS IN THE HOMELESS PREVENTION NETWORK, INCLUDING HOMELESS AND HOUSING ALLIANCE (HHA) MEMBERS AS WELL AS STAFF FROM ADOPT-A-FAMILY AND THE LORD'S PLACE (TWO LOCAL NONPROFIT HOUSING PROVIDERS), IN IMPLEMENTING FAIR HOUSING BEST PRACTICES IN THE COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEM AND PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS MOVING FROM AN UNHOUSED TO STABLY HOUSED STATUS. OBJECTIVE 3: TO SUPPORT LOCAL PARTNERS IN THE HOMELESS PREVENTION NETWORK IN IMPLEMENTING BEST STRATEGIES FOR A FAIR HOUSING AND COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEM AND PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS MOVING FROM AN UNHOUSED TO STABLY HOUSED STATUS. ACTIVITY 1: AT LEAST 50 INDIVIDUALS WILL PARTICIPATE IN TWO (2) EDUCATION AND OUTREACH EVENTS. ACTIVITY 2: AT LEAST TWO (2) COMPLAINTS WILL BE REFERRED TO HUD OR A FHAP AGENCY AND WILL BE TRACKED IN A REFERRAL LOG. DELIVERABLE: AT LEAST ONE INFORMATIONAL REFERENCE GUIDE WILL BE PRODUCED FOR HOMELESS PREVENTION NETWORK PARTNERS AND NONPROFIT HOUSING PROVIDER STAFF REGARDING BEST PRACTICES FOR PURSUING EQUITY THROUGH A COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEM.; INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: INDIVIDUALS IN NEIGHBORHOODS FACING GENTRIFICATION AND THOSE SLATED FOR PUBLIC HOUSING REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS (PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM MARGINALIZED, UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS SUCH AS RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES); INDIVIDUALS IN THE COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEM WHO ARE MOVING FROM AN UNHOUSED TO STABLY HOUSED STATUS; PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES; INDIVIDUALS LIVING IN RURAL UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES; MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY; AND INDIVIDUALS WHOSE ACCESS TO HOUSING OPPORTUNITY WAS AFFECTED OR EXACERBATED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. SERVICE AREA LANGUAGE NEEDS: ACCORDING TO RECENT U.S. CENSUS BUREAU FIGURES, PALM BEACH COUNTY HAD AN ESTIMATED POPULATION OF 1,518,477 IN 2022 (THE LAST YEAR FOR WHICH FIGURES ARE AVAILABLE), AND IS THE THIRD MOST POPULOUS COUNTY IN THE STATE WITH 759.7 PERSONS PER SQUARE MILE. PER CENSUS BUREAU FIGURES, IN 2022 THE COUNTY'S THREE PREDOMINANT POPULATIONS WERE BROKEN DOWN AS FOLLOWS: WHITE-52.3%, HISPANIC-24.2% AND BLACK-20.1% (WITH 3.4% OTHERS). HENDRY COUNTY'S POPULATION IS 41,339 AND IS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE RURAL AND LESS DENSELY POPULATED WITH 34.3 PER SQUARE MILE. CHANGING RACIAL AND ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHICS HAVE INCREASED THE AREA'S LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY AS WELL. ACCORDING TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE'S LEP.GOV INTERACTIVE MAPPING WEBSITE (HTTPS://WWW.LEP.GOV/MAPS), 167,531 INDIVIDUALS IN PALM BEACH COUNTY WERE CLASSIFIED WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY IN 2015, OF WHOM 62% SPOKE SPANISH AND ANOTHER 20% SPOKE FRENCH CREOLE, THE LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY MOST INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ORIGINALLY FROM HAITI. TO ADDRESS THIS LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY, ALL EDUCATION AND TRAINING MATERIALS PRODUCED BY THE FAIR HOUSING PROJECT WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH, SPANISH AND HAITIAN-CREOL; SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: NONE