U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, Secretary Office of Public Affairs, Washington, DC 20410 HUD No. 12-20 FOR RELEASE Adam Glantz/Olga Alvarez Wednesday (212) 264-1100 May 9, 2012

HUD NEWS

[Link]

HUD AWARDS NEW YORK MORE THAN $4.5 MILLION IN GRANTS TO COMBAT HOUSING DISCRIMINATION
NEW YORK The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded $4,511,958 to 11 fair housing organizations across New York State to assist people who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination. (A list of grantees and award descriptions are below). We are pleased to provide the only federal grant support to private fair housing enforcement and education, said HUDs Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity John Trasvia. Our local partners are essential to ending housing discrimination. The categories of grants awarded today are:

Private Enforcement Initiative grants (PEI) HUD awarded $30 million to help local nonprofit fair housing organizations carry out testing and enforcement activities to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices. Education and Outreach Initiative grants (EOI) HUD awarded $5.9 million to groups that educate the public and housing providers about their rights and responsibilities under federal, state, and local fair housing laws. Fair Housing Organizations Initiative (FHOI) HUD awarded $5.25 million to help build the capacity and effectiveness of non-profit fair housing organizations, particularly organizations that focus on the rights and needs of underserved groups, such as rural and immigrant populations.

The competitive grants are funded through HUDs Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP), and are part of nearly $41.18 million distributed nationwide to 99 fair housing organizations and other nonprofit agencies in 35 states and the District of Columbia. The grants will be used to enforce the Fair Housing Act through investigation and testing of alleged discriminatory practices, and to educate housing providers, local governments and potential victims of housing discrimination about their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act. HUD had over $70 million in requests for FHIP, but funded only $41 million. more -

HUD No. 12-20

Page 2 FHEO and its partners in the Fair Housing Assistance Program investigate more than 9,300 housing discrimination complaints annually. People who believe they are the victims of housing discrimination should contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777 (voice), or (800) 927-9275 (TTY). ## HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at [Link] and [Link] You can also follow HUD on twitter @HUDnews, on facebook at [Link]/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD's News Listserv. HUD is awarding FHIP grants to the following agencies in New York.
Organization Name LSNY-BRONX Corporation dba Legal Services NYC-Bronx Brooklyn Legal Services Corp. A South Brooklyn Legal Services, Inc. South Brooklyn Legal Services, Inc. Housing Opportunities Made Equal, Inc. FAIR HOUSING JUSTICE CENTER, Inc. FAIR HOUSING JUSTICE CENTER, INC. FAIR HOUSING JUSTICE CENTER, INC. MFY Legal Services, Inc. Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project Legal Assistance of Western NY, Inc. Legal Services NYC Staten Island Fair Housing Council of Central New York, Inc. Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. City Bronx Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn Buffalo NEW YORK NEW YORK NEW YORK New York New York Rochester Staten Island Syracuse White Plains White Plains White Plains White Plains White Plains Amount $325,000.00 $325,000.00 $325,000.00 $325,000.00 $308,167.00 $325,000.00 $124,000.00 $324,995.00 $325,000.00 $125,000.00 $277,000.00 $325,000.00 $322,025.00 $212,066.00 $158,705.00 $125,000.00 $125,000.00 $125,000.00

PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS FOR NEW YORK CITY GRANTEES

Bronx Legal Services NYC Bronx Corporation dba Legal Services NYC-Bronx Fair Housing Organization Initiative Lending Component - $325,000.00 Legal Services NYC-Bronx will use its grant to fund the Foreclosure Prevention Project, which will serve Bronx minority, elderly, and/or immigrant homeowners with a range of services to: prevent foreclosure, redress the effects of discriminatory mortgage practices, prevent homeowners from falling prey to mortgage rescue scams or mortgage servicing abuses, identify and engage in litigation to address discriminatory lending practices and servicing abuses, and leave homeowners with stable, safe, affordable housing. The organization will also undertake a significant community-education initiative to assist community members and other advocates in Brooklyn Brooklyn Legal Services Corp. Fair Housing Organization Initiative Lending Component - $325,000.00 Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation, collaborating with Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Legal Services (BSCLS), will use grant funds to support the Anti-Predatory Lending/Foreclosure Defense Project (Project) which enforces fair housing laws on behalf of victims of real estate and mortgage rescue fraud. Through this project, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation will conduct intake in social services agencies and at the offices of elected officials. The organization will also investigate violations and conduct enforcement activities in response to meritorious claims; provide loan modifications, refinancing, and loan workouts assistance; assist clients through advice, brief service, and other intervention services; conduct education, counseling, and outreach activities including workshops onsite or at local CBOs and meetings with local community groups about fair housing/lending laws. South Brooklyn Legal Services Private Enforcement Initiative Performance Based Component - $325,000.00 South Brooklyn Legal Services (SBLS) will use its grant to generate and accept referrals of clients alleging housing discrimination in home financing and sales in New York City; screen, investigate and analyze all complaints through a testing methodology that will allow us to identify both individual discrimination and patterns of discrimination; refer meritorious housing discrimination complaints to HUD; provide legal and other assistance to help targeted homeowners avoid foreclosure and access fair credit; provide training and support to partner local agencies and organizations; and promote fair housing choice by educating the public about discriminatory practices in lending and home sales. South Brooklyn Legal Services, Inc. Private Enforcement Initiative Lending Component - $325,000.00 South Brooklyn Legal Services (SBLS) and partners will use its grant to assist New York City residents facing foreclosure because of discriminatory home sales, financing, and foreclosure rescue scams. The organization will generate and accept clients at risk of foreclosure from housing discrimination in home financing and sales; investigate, and analyze complaints through testing to identify individual and systemic patterns of discrimination; generate computerized maps to support housing discrimination claims; refer meritorious housing discrimination complaints to appropriate enforcement agencies; file affirmative enforcement litigation to

address systemic lending abuses; provide legal and other assistance to help targeted homeowners avoid foreclosure and access affordable loan modifications; train and support local partners about discriminatory practices in lending, home sales, and foreclosure prevention. New York City Fair Housing Justice Center, Inc. Private Enforcement Initiative Multi-Year Component - $325,000.00 Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) will use its grant to provide fair housing counseling, investigative services (testing), as well as legal referrals of housing discrimination complaints. FHJC will assist households with federal housing vouchers and homeless individuals and families with rental subsidies to overcome barriers to housing choice. FHJCs assistance with these initiatives will be conducted through outreach meetings that serve persons with disabilities, homeless populations, immigrant and limited English-speaking communities, racial minorities, and others facing barriers to obtaining and maintaining housing. Fair Housing Justice Center, Inc. Fair Housing Organization Initiative Lending Component $324,995.00 The Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) will use its grant to conduct a systemic testing investigation into the pre-application practices of lenders to determine if first-time home buyers of different races and national origins are provided equal information, service, treatment and access to mortgage financing services and products in five New York City boroughs and seven suburban counties. Fair Housing Justice Center, Inc. Education and Outreach Initiative General Component - $124,000.00 The Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) will use its grant to enhance public awareness about fair housing rights and obligations. Activities will include: designing and producing fair housing training materials, including a video featuring interviews with former clients who have successfully exercised their fair housing rights and FHJCs continuing efforts to combat housing discrimination; expanding FHJCs mailing list; issuing news releases; preparing and distributing FHJCs e-newsletter; and making presentations to government agencies, faith based groups, nonprofits, student associations, and other groups about the FHJC and fair housing rights. MFY Legal Services, Inc. Private Enforcement Initiative Lending Component - $324,999 MFY Legal Services, Inc. will use its grant to stem the tide of foreclosures in the hardest-hit neighborhoods of New York City, where people of color have long been the victims of predatory lending. The project will prevent foreclosures by assisting homeowners in obtaining affordable loan modifications and other loan workout agreements and providing community legal education on refinancing and other foreclosure-avoidance opportunities in order to create financially sustainable homeownership opportunities for minority homeowners. The primary activity under this grant will be focused on defending minority homeowners and homeowners with disabilities who are facing foreclosure. The organization will represent these homeowners at settlement conferences and in litigation with the goal of obtaining affordable loan modifications and other loan workout agreements that prevent foreclosure and preserve the families affordable housing. Other activities include advocacy and legal assistance to decrease homeowners remaining debt

by reducing or eliminating second mortgages and credit card judgments; community-based education to build capacity in the community to identify fair housing violations in the loan origination, loan servicing and foreclosure processes; and education of and advocacy with elected officials to promote policies and practices that assist homeowners in communities of color to maintain safe and affordable housing of their choosing. Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project Education and Outreach Initiative Lending Component - $125,000.00 The Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP) Fair Lending Initiative, a collaboration among NEDAP, five community and legal services organizations, and the local FHAP agency, will target Latinos, African-Americans, and other ethnic and racial groups, seniors, new immigrant families, and individuals with disabilities with community education, media outreach, screening, referrals, and capacity-building. Activities will include: educating New York City homeowners and renters on their fair lending rights, and alerting them to abusive/discriminatory lending practices and effective foreclosure prevention resources; facilitating discovery and referral of fair lending complaints to HUD. Staten Island Legal Services NYC Staten Island Private Enforcement Initiative Multi-Year Component - $325,000.00 Staten Island Legal Services (SILS) will use its grant to provide client-based and systemic work to prevent foreclosure of homes owned by members of racial minorities, elderly persons, and immigrants. SILS will continue to expand their current work of serving additional homeowners and undertaking new systemic efforts. The individual casework will include legal advice and assistance to pro se litigants; loan negotiation; representation in court; referral to housing counselors, government enforcement agencies, and financial counseling; and community education. PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS FOR WESTCHESTER COUNTY White Plains Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. Education and Outreach Initiative Affirmatively Further Fair Housing Component - $125,000.00 Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. (WRO) will use its grant to promote diverse and inclusive communities and maximize equal housing opportunities through fair housing education and outreach in the Lower Hudson Valley. In addition to continuing to co-sponsor the annual Westchester County Fair and Affordable Housing Expo, WRO will engage in outreach to provide comprehensive on-site fair housing training and training to affirmatively market communities. This outreach will include a regional symposium on fair and affordable housing and an accessibility initiative to train about accessible and sustainable design and construction. The target audience for these symposiums will be municipal leaders, builders and developers, real estate attorneys, housing counseling agencies and other social service agencies that provide direct housing services to its clients.

Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc.

Education and Outreach Initiative General Component - $125,000.00 Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. (WRO) will use its fund to: conduct fair housing workshops for realtors, landlords, cooperative and condominium boards, management companies, and the public, and a regional symposium on fair and affordable housing; co-sponsor the annual Westchester County Fair and Affordable Housing Expo; distribute bi-lingual fair housing brochures; identify and address discrimination against section 8 voucher holders and advocate for co-operative disclosure laws; produce an accessibility survey of 1500 buildings with accompanying bi-lingual report and database; provide mobility counseling for minority residents who may wish to move into new units developed pursuant to the Westchester County housing settlement; and conduct a regional multimedia campaign for residents about the societal benefits of full integration and foster the grassroots buy-in. Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. Education and Outreach Initiative Lending Component - $125,000.00 Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. (WRO) will use its grant to carry out a comprehensive program of education, training, advocacy and counseling for residents who have been victimized by fair lending violations and fraudulent or predatory mortgage rescue schemes. Activities will include: investigating fair housing lending violations through complaint intake; fair lending testing; assisting victims with modifications; mandatory orientation sessions to prepare clients for necessary financial adjustments; guidance on short sales and bankruptcy; outreach through individual counseling and group workshops on budgeting and personal finance; homeowner outreach workshops with lenders to expedite loan modifications; rallying representatives of major lending institutions and government officials for policy changes; and volunteering at the Westchester County Courthouse to provide assistance to homeowners participating in mandatory settlement conferences with lenders. Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. Private Enforcement Initiative Lending Component - $212,066.00 Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. (WRO) will use its grant to provide assistance to Westchester, Rockland and Putnam County homeowners in underserved low- to moderate income communities with substantial African American and Hispanic populations and high rates of foreclosure filings and judgments. Broadening its geographic reach will enable WRO to enhance its fair lending program, including such activities as complaint intake; investigation/enforcement; a fair lending paired testing program; individual and group mortgage counseling; intervention with lenders for all possible means of relief, including loan modifications, refinancing, and other workouts; identification of mortgage scams and other fair lending/fraud violations; community education and outreach to assist residents who face loss of their homes from fair lending and fair housing violations; and preventative education about predatory lending, financial literacy and fair housing.

Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc.

Private Enforcement Initiative Multi-Year Component - $158,705.33 Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. (WRO) will use its grant to: continue to implement a systemic fair housing testing program and expand its geographic reach by engaging in more comprehensive testing throughout the lower Hudson Valley region of New York, including Westchester, Rockland and Putnam Counties; continue testing for unlawful discrimination against Section 8 voucher holders, expanding to cover all three counties; and continue administering a comprehensive fair housing enforcement program, providing assistance to victims of housing discrimination through a vigorous program of complaint intake and investigation, and resolution through mediation or litigation. New activities will include cosponsoring CLE education with Pace Law School to train regional lawyers how to litigate fair housing complaints, and implementing an Equal Housing in the Lower Hudson Valley Program. PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS FOR UPSTATE GRANTEES ROCHESTER Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. Private Enforcement Initiative Performance Based Component - $277,000.00 Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LAWNY) will use its grant to continue the work of its Fair Housing Enforcement Project for the Finger Lakes Region (FHEP) in two regions (Rochester and its suburbs and five adjoining rural counties) for testing and enforcement activities. LAWNY will field complaints for testing, utilizing paired tests when appropriate, and refer to state attorneys for enforcement when discriminatory practices are corroborated. LAWNY will recruit and train testers, and conduct testing throughout both the urban and rural project areas to ensure that meritorious cases filed in Federal Court are well documented. Additionally, LAWNY will partner with the Empire Justice Center to conduct a 2010 Census data analysis and map patterns of racial segregation in the Rochester Metropolitan Region. The organization will also conduct audit tests in segregated areas to determine advocacy strategies and to plan enforcement activities to address discriminatory barriers to fair housing choice. BUFFALO Housing Opportunities Made Equal, Inc. Private Enforcement Initiative - Multi Year Component - $308,167.00 Housing Opportunities Made Equal, Inc. will use its grant to: recruit, select and train testers and implement testing; conduct intake of housing discrimination allegations involving federal or state protected classes; mediate and/or file validated cases of discrimination; conduct outreach to municipal code enforcement officers about federal accessibility requirements and train participants at agencies serving the disabled; conduct trainings about federal and state fair housing and landlord-tenant law and landlord trainings to promote opportunities for inclusive housing; conduct outreach to potential victims of housing discrimination; publish and distribute bilingual fair housing brochures and design and place fair housing advertisements in bus shelters and on public buses.

SYRACUSE

Fair Housing Council of Central New York, Inc. Private Enforcement Initiative Multi-Year Component - $322,025.00 The Fair Housing Council of Central New York, Inc. will use its grant to process complaints and conduct telephone intake as the first step to opening fair housing investigations and screening complaints. The organization will analyze the business practices of housing providers of all types for compliance with fair housing laws. Additionally, the Fair Housing Council will recruit and train testers annually, and administer paired rental tests during the project durations. The organization will also conduct fair housing counseling for clients in need of information regarding their fair housing/fair lending rights; maintain a website with fair housing information throughout the project and establish web pages for social networking sites, create a blog page, and update the web site; conduct professional speaking engagements throughout the organizations service area to educate the public, service providers, and members of protected classes about fair housing; distribute posters and brochures annually to educate and inform the public about fair housing; and provide other educational and enforcement fair housing activities.