Project Grant FEOI230059

PURPOSE: PURPOSE THE PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSED GRANT PROJECT IS TO INCREASE AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL FAIR HOUSING LAWS. THE ACTIVITIES PROPOSED BY UNDER THIS GRANT APPLICATION RECOGNIZE THAT PEOPLE OF COLOR, WOMEN, AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE OVERREPRESENTED IN PUBLIC AND SUBSIDIZED HOUSING. IN RECENT YEARS, ADDITIONAL FAIR HOUSING PROTECTIONS AT THE STATE LEVEL AND FEDERAL GUIDANCE HAVE EXPANDED THE FAIR HOUSING RIGHTS OF THESE GROUPS. A LACK OF UP-TO-DATE KNOWLEDGE IN COMMUNITIES CREATES A BARRIER TO PROTECTED GROUPS ACCESSING THEIR SPECIFIC HOUSING RIGHTS AND NEEDS. THIS PROJECT WILL COUNTERACT KNOWLEDGE GAPS IN FAIR HOUSING RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES. OUTREACH IS A KEY FACTOR IN CONNECTING VICTIMS OF HOUSING DISCRIMINATION AND HOUSING PROVIDERS WITH THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO UNDERSTAND AND ACCESS THEIR FAIR HOUSING RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES. A MAJOR BARRIER TO ACHIEVING THIS JUSTICE IS A SIMPLE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO GO BEYOND GENERAL EDUCATION AND PROVIDE MORE SPECIFIC EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCIES (PHAS) AND POPULATIONS ELIGIBLE FOR OR LIVING IN PUBLIC AND SUBSIDIZED HOUSING. A MAJOR FOCUS OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE THE TREATMENT OF ARREST & CONVICTION RECORDS. ILLINOIS HAS 1.8 MILLION BLACK RESIDENTS AND 2.3 MILLION HISPANIC OR LATINO RESIDENTS. THESE TWO GROUPS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY REPRESENTED IN ARREST & CONVICTION DATA. HOPE RECOGNIZES THE NEED FOR INCREASED EDUCATION ACROSS THE STATE OF ILLINOIS WHICH INCLUDES OVER 100 PHAS. HOPE'S SERVICE AREA ALSO INCLUDES MANY VULNERABLE AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. AS THE ONLY AGENCY PROVIDING FAIR HOUSING SERVICES IN MOST OF THE FORTY COUNTIES WITHIN ITS SERVICE AREA - INCLUDING EDUCATION AND OUTREACH SERVICES - HOPE CONTINUES TO PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN PROVIDING FAIR HOUSING TRAINING, RESOURCES, AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO MEET THESE NEEDS.; ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED 1) UPDATE HOPE'S PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCIES FAIR HOUSING MANUAL. HOPE WILL UPDATE ITS PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCIES (PHA) FAIR HOUSING MANUAL, PUBLISHED IN 2014, TO INCLUDE UPDATED GUIDANCE FROM HUD ON FAIR HOUSING LAW AS WELL AS STATE LEVEL LAWS RELEVANT TO PHAS. BY UPDATING THIS MANUAL, PHAS WILL BE BETTER INFORMED ON HOW TO FOLLOW FAIR HOUSING LAW WHEN SERVING PROTECTED GROUPS INCLUDING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, PERSONS WITH ARREST & CONVICTION RECORDS, AND MORE. HOPE WILL ENSURE THE DEVELOPED MANUAL IS MADE AVAILABLE TO PHAS THROUGHOUT ITS SERVICE AREA AND ACROSS THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 2) CONDUCT PRESENTATIONS/TRAININGS ON PHA FAIR HOUSING MANUAL. TO ENSURE PHAS ARE MADE AWARE OF THEIR UPDATED FAIR HOUSING RESPONSIBILITIES, HOPE WILL CONDUCT THREE TRAININGS TO PHA STAFF ON THE UPDATED MANUAL. THROUGH THESE TRAININGS, HOPE WILL DISCUSS THE MANUAL, HIGHLIGHT KEY CHANGES AND UPDATES, AND PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PHA STAFF TO ASK QUESTIONS. THROUGH THESE TRAININGS, HOPE WILL CONNECT WITH PHAS, PROVIDE THEM WITH THE UPDATED PHA FAIR HOUSING MANUAL AND ANY OTHER HOPE RESOURCES OR GUIDANCE HIGHLIGHTED IN THE MANUAL OR REQUESTED BY THE PHA. 3) DEVELOP TOOLS AND RESOURCES REGARDING ARREST & CONVICTION RECORDS IN PUBLIC HOUSING. THROUGH ITS RECENT FHIP-EOI STRIVING FOR EQUITY GRANT, HOPE CREATED AN ARREST & CONVICTION RECORD TOOLKIT WHICH INCLUDED RESOURCES FOR INDIVIDUALS FACING DISCRIMINATION, FLYERS AND REFERRAL GUIDES FOR ORGANIZATIONS COUNSELING CLIENTS, AND ADVERTISING DRAFTS FOR ONLINE AND NEWSPAPER OUTREACH. HOPE WILL MODIFY THE RESOURCES IN THIS TOOLKIT TO CREATE NEW TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ARREST & CONVICTIONS RECORDS WHO LIVE OR SEEK TO LIVE IN PUBLIC OR SUBSIDIZED HOUSING. THE UPDATES WILL FOCUS ON HUD GUIDANCE AND ILLINOIS LAW (PUBLIC HOUSING ACCESS BILL AND HOUSING AUTHORITIES ACT). 4) DEVELOP ADVERTISING MATERIALS ADDRESSING ARREST & CONVICTION RECORD. THROUGH HOPE'S DEVELOPMENT AND CREATION OF ITS ARREST & CONVICTION RECORD TOOLKIT FOR POPULATIONS ELIGIBLE FOR OR LIVING IN PUBLIC AND SUBSIDIZED HOUSING, HOPE WILL CREATE TWO SOCIAL MEDIA/ONLINE MARKETING MATERIALS SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSING FAIR HOUSING PROTECTIONS FOR THOSE WITH ARREST & CONVICTION RECORDS WHO ARE ELIGIBLE PUBLIC AND SUBSIDIZED HOUSING. ADDITIONALLY, HOPE WILL CREATE ONE DIGITAL OR ONLINE NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING ADDRESSING ARREST & CONVICTION RECORD PROTECTIONS. 5) CONDUCT ONLINE OUTREACH. HOPE WILL HOST ALL THE MATERIALS DESCRIBED ABOVE ON ITS WEBSITE AND PROMOTE THEM ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO SPREAD AWARENESS. IN ADDITION, HOPE WILL CREATE ONE VIDEO SHOWCASING CLIENT TESTIMONIAL. THIS TESTIMONIAL WILL HIGHLIGHT THE EXPERIENCE OF HOPE'S CLIENT(S) WHO FACED HOUSING DISCRIMINATION HOUSING DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF THEIR ARREST AND/OR CONVICTION RECORD. THE VIDEO WILL ALSO HIGHLIGHT WHERE TO SEEK HELP AND HOW TO REPORT INSTANCES OF UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION. THE TESTIMONIAL VIDEO WILL BE PROMOTED ACROSS HOPE'S SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND HOSTED ON ITS WEBSITE. 6) DISTRIBUTE ALL NEWLY DEVELOPED MATERIALS. ONCE HOPE HAS CREATED ITS NEW OUTREACH MATERIALS AND RECEIVED APPROVAL FROM THE GTM, FOCUS WILL SHIFT TOWARDS DISSEMINATING THE MATERIALS THROUGHOUT ILLINOIS. HOPE WILL ENGAGE DIRECTLY WITH PHAS TO DISTRIBUTE THE PHA FAIR HOUSING MANUAL (EITHER VIRTUALLY OR IN PERSON) AND LATER HOST IT ON HOPE'S WEBSITE FOR PHA STAFF AND INTERESTED PARTIES TO ACCESS. HOPE WILL DISTRIBUTE THE ARREST & CONVICTION RECORD TOOLKIT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND ITS WEBSITE. HOPE WILL ADDITIONALLY TRANSLATE PUBLICLY DISSEMINATED MATERIALS INTO SPANISH AND MANDARIN TO MAKE THEM MORE ACCESSIBLE TO RELEVANT POPULATIONS IN HOPE'S SERVICE AREA.; EXPECTED OUTCOMES: HOPE WILL UPDATE ITS 2014 PHA FAIR HOUSING MANUAL TO INCLUDE UPDATED GUIDANCE FROM HUD ON FAIR HOUSING LAW AS WELL AS STATE LEVEL LAWS RELEVANT TO PHAS. HOPE WILL ENSURE THE DEVELOPED MANUAL IS MADE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD TO OVER 100 PHAS ACROSS THE STATE OF ILLINOIS THROUGH ITS WEBSITE. HOPE WILL CONDUCT AT LEAST THREE FAIR HOUSING EDUCATIONAL TRAININGS FOR PHA STAFF THROUGHOUT HOPE'S SERVICE AREA. HOPE WILL CREATE TWO ONLINE/SOCIAL MEDIA ADS, ONE DIGITAL OR PRINT NEWSPAPER AD, AND ONE TESTIMONIAL VIDEO TO ENGAGE IN DIGITAL OUTREACH. THIS ONLINE OUTREACH WILL ALLOW HOPE TO REACH THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS ACROSS ITS SEVERAL ONLINE PLATFORMS. HOPE WILL ADDITIONALLY CREATE A TOOLKIT ADDRESSING RELEVANT ARREST & CONVICTION RECORD PROTECTIONS FOR THOSE SEEKING OR CURRENTLY RESIDING IN PUBLIC AND SUBSIDIZED HOUSING. THE TOOLKIT WILL BE ACCESSED BY AN ESTIMATED 100 INDIVIDUALS. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES THE GRANT PROJECT WILL PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS TO PHA STAFF ACROSS ILLINOIS' MORE THAN 100 HOUSING AUTHORITIES, THE MORE THAN 224,000 ILLINOIS HOUSEHOLDS UTILIZING SOME FORM OF FEDERAL RENTAL ASSISTANCE, 1 AS WELL AS THE THOSE SEEKING OR CURRENTLY RESIDING IN PUBLIC OR SUBSIDIZED HOUSING. THIS INCLUDES ALL GROUPS PROTECTED UNDER THE FAIR HOUSING ACT, WITH SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR COMMUNITIES IMPACTED BY ARREST & CONVICTION RECORD PROTECTIONS AND OTHER PROTECTED GROUPS WHO ARE OVERREPRESENTED IN PUBLIC AND SUBSIDIZED HOUSING (SUCH AS PEOPLE OF COLOR, WOMEN, AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES). THE PROJECT WILL BE MADE ACCESSIBLE TO AND AFFIRMATIVELY MARKETED TO AREAS AND POPULATIONS VULNERABLE TO HOUSING DISCRIMINATION TO ENSURE IT IS WIDE REACHING. HOPE'S EOI - ADVANCING RACIAL EQUITY PROJECT PROPOSAL ADDRESSES A LACK OF AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING AMONG VARIOUS COMMUNITIES IMPACTED IN SOME WAY BY PUBLIC AND SUBSIDIZED HOUSING IN ILLINOIS.; INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: HOPE'S PROJECT WILL PROVIDE IMPACTED GROUPS WITH THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO RECOGNIZE AND RESPOND TO FAIR HOUSING DISCRIMINATION. HOPE WILL ADDITIONALLY INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENFORCEMENT RESOURCES PROVIDED AT HOPE SO THAT VICTIMS KNOW WHERE TO SEEK FURTHER SUPPORT.; SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: NONE