Ensures that arkansas's only private fair housing enforcement organization continues to provide quality education and outreach services to all protected classes

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), through its Fair Housing Organization Initiatives (CFDA 14.417) program, awarded a $125,000 Project Grant to the High Plains Fair Housing Center, Inc. to provide quality fair housing education, outreach, and enforcement services across the state of North Dakota. Key activities will include:

• Updating and distributing fair housing materials in English and four additional languages statewide

• Conducting community education events, trainings, and digital outreach to inform underserved populations, including Native American communities, immigrant groups, persons with disabilities, and victims of housing discrimination, about their fair housing rights

• Providing fair housing training and resources to housing providers, lenders, appraisers, and legal professionals to promote compliance with fair housing laws

• Expanding reach through public service announcements, social media, and a quarterly newsletter highlighting fair housing success stories

The grant aims to increase compliance with fair housing laws, dismantle barriers to housing choice, and empower North Dakota residents to understand and exercise their fair housing rights. The award period is from June 5, 2024 to June 4, 2025.

Activities

Update and distribute fair housing materials in english and four languages statewide. ? Hold 4 facebook fridays to discuss topical issues related to fair housing with partner organizations. ? Educate people directly in north dakota about their fair housing rights and responsibilities through events across the state with online education, in-person trainings and booth opportunities. ? Educate housing providers and lawyers through material distribution and training. ? Provide outreach on housing discrimination in rural and underserved areas, especially the promise zone area. ? Focus on consumer fair housing rights to reach a wide variety of audiences, including native american communities, immigrant populations, persons with disabilities, other advocates, and housing consumers. ? Focus on provider fair housing responsibilities to reach property managers, housing developers, and housing providers. ? Publish a quarterly newsletter and annual report that will promote fair housing rights in north dakota by highlighting success stories. ? Run psas throughout the state to be placed across rural and tribal regions of north dakota, expanding our fair housing education reach to low populated areas and native american communities in north dakota. ? Host and maintain a social media presence (e.g., FB or tiktok) about hpfhc focused on the fair housing act, with a special emphasis on the religious discrimination, that will be delivered throughout the state, particularly in rural areas with high instances of segregation and native american communities

Expected outcomes

Increase compliance with fair housing laws in the residential rental/lending market by providing information on rights and responsibilities under the law through trainings and webinars, as well as print, audio, and digital media. Help dismantle barriers to housing choice experienced by the large population of persons with disabilities, native americans, immigrants, families with children, and victims of domestic violence and sexual harassment by providing them with the appropriate education on how to exercise their rights when necessary. Empower complainants to file claims. More people throughout the state, especially in the promise zone, will understand their rights and have a way to access tools to exercise their rights; more providers will understand their responsibilities. More people in north dakota will be aware of what fair housing law is and how IT applies to religious protections and will understand where and how to file a complaint.

Intended beneficiaries

1) underserved populations, including the native american community, the immigrant community, persons of color and persons with disabilities, especially those in the promise zone. 2) training of housing providers, lenders, appraisers and lawyers in the state of north dakota.