Way finders proposes to use the EOI-general… (FEOI230027) – Project Grant to Way Finders, Inc.

Activities: Activities to be performed. Way finders proposes a grant period that will start on june 1, 2024 and end on may 31, 2025. Way finders' statement of work includes 35 activities that will occur over the course of one year, including the 18TH annual fair housing and civil rights conference (fhcrc). The EOI program will consist of activities that fall into six general categories: conducting small and large workshops and presentations addressing specific issues and/or for specific groups; outreach and marketing to the general public and targeted underserved neighborhoods; printing and distribution of fair housing flyers and brochures; advocating for fair housing issues and compliance; providing guidance to residents and/or referral to HUD, mcad, mfhc, and organizing and conducting the annual fhcrc. Way finders' EOI staff will conduct outreach to at least 50 organizations/groups serving populations who are at risk of housing discrimination in the four-county service area. To extend the reach of the program, at least ten of the groups contacted for the proposed program will not have been included in the prior year's EOI program. Some of the proposed EOI workshops are intended for the general public while others are tailored for specific groups with examples and discussion topics that are relevant to their professional field, business, or public sector. Workshops for groups of individuals in protected classes are tailored to address specific issues and concerns. Way finders' outreach and marketing activities will include ongoing social media presence on way finders' platforms and those of our partner agencies, six media events that will be designed to raise awareness of fair housing issues in our region, as well as a promotional campaign for the fhcrc. Marketing will be designed and implemented in collaboration with way finders' marketing and communications department. As covid wanes, the EOI staff intends to resume in-person activities in the community. Way finders' outreach also includes the publication and distribution of fair housing materials in english and spanish, serving the large population of native spanish speakers in our region, and 12 other languages at a minimum of 30 strategic distribution sites. A talking book version of our materials is available on request to accommodate individuals with impaired vision. Way finders EOI program staff will arrange or convene meetings with service agency advisory councils and advisory groups to raise awareness of fair housing issues, increase understanding of the fair housing laws, and advocate for practices that will advance HUD's goals, promote racial equity, and increase housing choice in the area. EOI program staff, with extensive experience in addressing fair housing issues and with deep knowledge of the fair housing act, will provide guidance to individuals, groups, and organizations to help them understand how to assess their own rights and responsibilities. Referral process. The EOI program will provide information about fair housing rights to all interested parties. Clients reporting suspected violations of their individual fair housing rights will be referred to fhap agency mcad or to HUD, either directly or through the mfhc. Housing complaints that appear to be in violation of the state's housing regulations, but not in violation of the client's fair housing rights, will be referred to either community legal aid or mfhc for evaluation. The number of referrals will be tracked and reported to HUD on a quarterly basis. Fhcr conference. Way finders will be organizing and hosting the annual fair housing and civil rights conference in 2024 in partnership with mfhc, western new england university school of law, the boston fair housing commission, eeoc, DOL, and DOE. The event will take place on april 10 -12, 2024, and will feature speakers who are leaders in the advancement of fair housing and civil rights and workshops facilitated by experts in the field. The workshop topics are designed for members of the public wanting to learn more about fair housing and civil rights issues as well as professionals in the field.
Expected outcomes: Expected outcomes way finders' EOI program staff will have engaged at least 50 organizations in the region who serve populations that are at risk of housing discrimination, making them aware of the fair housing EOI program activities and providing information to increase knowledge of fair housing issues, rights, and responsibilities. An estimated 2,000 residents of the region will have participated in a workshop, attended a presentation, received individual counseling as to their fair housing rights, or participated in the fhcrc (note that some individuals may attend multiple events and thus be counted more than once). Some of these individuals will have participated in workshops that are tailored to their field or issue, e.g., health care providers, clergy, immigrant populations, real estate professionals, landlords and/or those that are tailored to address issues specific to protected classes of people.
Intended beneficiaries: Way finders' EOI program will directly benefit members of protected classes, tenants, those in search of housing, homeowners, homebuyers, and homeless individuals by informing them of their rights, forms of discrimination, and assistance for those who suspect they have been discriminated against. Way finders' fair housing EOI will also benefit organizations serving protected classes by providing them information that will help them identify instances of discrimination, how to seek assistance with or on behalf of their clients, as well as ways in which they can be an advocate for fair housing rights. Housing professionals and landlords will benefit by understanding their rights responsibilities under the fair housing act, so they comply with fair housing law in conducting their business, making them aware of forms of discrimination that create liability for them. Way finders' EOI works with service providers and businesses with the aim of removing barriers that perpetuate patterns of segregation, concentrated poverty, poor health outcomes, and homelessness in communities

Action	Obligated	Date
Amendment Fair housing organization initiatives	-$6,712	Jul 14, 2026
Original award	$125,000	May 29, 2024

Way finders proposes to use the EOI-general component funding, if awarded, to affirmatively further fair housing by continuing to provide fair housing education and outreach initiative (EOI)…

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