Project Grant FEOI230031

PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO TARGET 10 RURAL COUNTIES IN MISSISSIPPI THAT HAVE LARGE POPULATION OF VULNERABLE GROUPS, INCLUDING AFRICAN AMERICANS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, AND PROVIDE FAIR HOUSING KNOWLEDGE TO THE COMMUNITIES IN FORMS OF PRESENTATIONS THROUGH WORKSHOPS IN CONJUNCTION WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS. IN THE TARGETED 10 RURAL COUNTIES, FEW FAIR HOUSING COMPLAINTS WERE FILED AND STATE-LEVEL SURVEY DATA REVEALS THAT RESIDENTS IN THESE COUNTIES HAVE LOW LEVELS OF AWARENESS OF FAIR HOUSING ACT PROTECTIONS. THE PROJECT FOCUSES ON THE LACK OF FAIR HOUSING INFORMATION IN RURAL COUNTIES BY TARGETING ITS RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL AT 10 OF THE MOST RURAL AND UNDERSERVED COUNTIES IN MISSISSIPPI TO CONDUCT EDUCATION AND OUTREACH. THE PROJECT USES MULTIPLE CHANNELS TO DELIVER INFORMATION IN EACH COUNTY, INCLUDING IN-PERSON FAIR HOUSING PRESENTATIONS WITHIN THE TARGETED AUDIENCES' COMMUNITY, DELIVERY OF FAIR HOUSING PSAS THROUGH RADIO AND TELEVISION ADVERTISEMENT, DISTRIBUTION OF FAIR HOUSING LITERATURE, AND A TOLL-FREE STATEWIDE HOTLINE TO PROVIDE FAIR HOUSING INFORMATION TO CALLERS REGARDING THEIR RIGHTS AND TO PROVIDE INTAKE FOR FAIR HOUSING VIOLATIONS.; ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED UNDER THE PROPOSED PROJECT INCLUDES ESTABLISHING A STATEWIDE FAIR HOUSING EDUCATION AND OUTREACH CAMPAIGN TO DISSEMINATE INFORMATION, CONDUCT COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS, AND INFORM CITIZENS ABOUT THEIR RIGHTS UNDER THE FAIR HOUSING ACT. MCJ WILL COLLABORATE WITH COMMUNITY-BASED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN THE TARGETED 10 COUNTIES TO CONDUCT COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS. MCJ WILL ALSO COLLABORATE WITH RUST COLLEGE, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY, AND ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY, WHICH ARE ALL HBCUS LOCATED IN DIFFERENT REGIONS OF MISSISSIPPI, TO PROVIDE FAIR HOUSING EDUCATION TO STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF ON CAMPUS AND ALSO TO RESIDENTS SURROUNDING THE HBCUS IN 3 OF THE 10 TARGETED COUNTIES. MCJ WILL DEVELOP INSTRUMENTS TO MEASURE THE EFFECTIVES OF THE COMMUNITY FAIR HOUSING WORKSHOPS WHICH WILL INCLUDE WORKSHOP EVALUATION FORMS AND PRE AND POST-WORKSHOP SURVEYS TO MEASURE THE AUDIENCES KNOWLEDGE OF THE FAIR HOUSING ACT BEFORE AND AFTER WORKSHOPS. WHILE ALSO CONDUCTING COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS, MCJ WILL IDENTIFY EXISTING COMMUNITY-BASED, FAITH-BASED AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS WITH EXISTING DELIVERY SYSTEMS TO DISTRIBUTE 4,000 PIECES OF FAIR HOUSING LITERATURE THAT DESCRIBES THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATION OF THE FAIR HOUSING ACT. THREE THOUSAND PIECES OF LITERATURE WILL BE IN ENGLISH, 500 PIECES IN SPANISH, AND 500 PIECES IN VIETNAMESE AS THESE ARE THE PRIMARY LANGUAGES SPOKEN IN MISSISSIPPI. IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING IN-LIVE PRESENTATIONS AND DISTRIBUTING FAIR HOUSING LITERATURE, MCJ WILL ALSO PROVIDE FAIR HOUSING INFORMATION, INCLUDING FAIR HOUSING ACT PROTECTIONS, THROUGH ADVERTISEMENT AND MARKETING THROUGH LOCAL NEWS, RADIO, AND SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS THAT REACHES THE TARGETED 10 RURAL COUNTIES. MCJ WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE A TOLL-FREE STATEWIDE HOTLINE TO FURTHER PROVIDE INFORMATION REGARDING RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE FAIR HOUSING ACT, TO ANSWER INQUIRIES THAT MISSISSIPPIANS MAY HAVE REGARDING THE FAIR HOUSING ACT, AND TO INVESTIGATE ANY REPORTED POSSIBLE VIOLATIONS OF THE ACT. IN ADDITION TO THE COMMUNITY-BASED WORKSHOPS, THE PROJECT WILL CONDUCT THREE FAIR HOUSING INDUSTRY-TRAINING WORKSHOPS IN BILOXI, HATTIESBURG, AND JACKSON THAT TARGETS HOUSING PROVIDERS OR THOSE ENGAGED IN PROVIDING HOUSING. THE INDUSTRY-TRAINING WORKSHOPS WILL INCLUDE TRAINING ADDRESSING MORTGAGE LENDING DISPARITIES, REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL DISCRIMINATION, AND NEWLY RECOGNIZED PROTECTIONS FOR LGBTQ+ POPULATIONS. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO CONDUCT A "FAIR HOUSING MONTH CELEBRATION" DIRECTED TO PUBLIC HOUSING SECTORS, FAIR HOUSING STATE AGENCIES, HUD REPRESENTATIVES, AND PANEL OF COMMUNITY-BASED PARTNERS TO REACH A MINIMUM OF 15 REPRESENTATIVES FROM SUCH HOUSING SECTORS.; EXPECTED OUTCOMES: THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT INCLUDES AN INCREASE OF COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE OF THE FAIR HOUSING ACT AND OF THE HUD PROCESS FOR INVESTIGATING CHARGES OF DISCRIMINATION. INCREASE IN COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE OF THE FAIR HOUSING ACT INCLUDES GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE PURPOSE OF THE FAIR HOUSING ACT, THE HISTORY, EVOLUTION AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE FAIR HOUSING ACT, AND THE PROTECTED CLASSES OF THE ACT. ONE MEASURING TOOL IN PLACE INCLUDES EVALUATION FORMS OF THE COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS SO PRESENTERS CAN IMPROVE ON THEIR PRESENTATION STYLE OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED AT WORKSHOPS. ANOTHER MEASURING TOOL IN PLACE INCLUDES A ONE PAGE PLAIN LANGUAGE QUESTIONNAIRE TO BE USED AS A PRE AND POST-WORKSHOP SURVEY TO MEASURE THE COMMUNITIES KNOWLEDGE OF THE FAIR HOUSING ACT BEFORE AND AFTER EACH PRESENTATION AND IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE INITIAL BASELINE OF FAIR HOUSING KNOWLEDGE AND QUANTIFY THE LEVEL OF INCREASED KNOWLEDGE FOLLOWING ALL EDUCATION AND OUTREACH. WITH THESE MEASURING TOOLS, MCJ WILL BE ABLE TO DETERMINE IF THE METHODS OF PRESENTATION ARE EFFECTIVE, AND PIVOT IF THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES ARE NOT REACHED. THROUGH THE COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS, OTHER DATA COLLECTION METHODS WILL INCLUDE RECORDING THE NUMBER OF ATTENDEES AT THE WORKSHOPS, AS WELL AS VOLUNTARILY GATHERED INFORMATION REGARDING DEMOGRAPHICS AND MEMBERSHIP IN PROTECTED CLASSES.; INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT INCLUDES MISSISSIPPI RESIDENTS, PARTICULARLY RESIDENTS IN 10 TARGETED RURAL COUNTIES, AS DEFINED BY HUD, WITH HIGH POPULATIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN RESIDENTS AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES THAT HAVE MINIMAL TO NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE FAIR HOUSING ACT. THE PROPOSED PROJECT TARGETS RURAL POPULATIONS BY CONDUCTING THESE WORKSHOPS THROUGH EXISTING COMMUNITY GROUPS, TRUSTED COLLEGES IN THE COMMUNITIES, AND BY REACHING PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT BE PLUGGED INTO SUCH GROUPS THROUGH RADIO AND TELEVISION OUTLETS. OTHER INTENDED BENEFICIARIES ALSO INCLUDE OUTREACH TO LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT INDIVIDUALS THROUGH FAIR HOUSING LITERATURE; SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: NONE