The Fair Housing Assistance Program is offered through the Housing and Urban Development (HUD), funded by the federal government. There are some specific purposes of the program, which can be helpful to those who want to help ensure that people are being fairly treated when it comes to housing.
There are organizations and agencies around the country that help people with fair housing issues. The issues that may arise regarding fair housing may include ensuring that people are treated fairly. People should not be treated differently regarding their race, ethnicity, age, income level, etc. It’s vital that people are treated fairly in the housing market, which is why this program exists.
Who the Fair Housing Assistance Program Helps
Ultimately, the Fair Housing Assistance Program helps anyone who has not been treated fairly in the housing market. However, HUD doesn’t deal with individuals through this program. This program helps smaller organizations and agencies that do the work to help people with their fair housing issues.
For example, some agencies around the country help with fair housing issues at the local level. They may be nonprofit organizations, law firms, or other types of organizations. They have a vested interest in helping to ensure that people are treated fairly when it comes to housing issues. Their organization or agency helps people who feel they have not been treated fairly.
The funding for the agencies that work locally comes from the Fair Housing Assistance Program through HUD. The federal government provides the smaller organizations with the funds to maintain a program that helps people with fair housing issues. Without the funds from HUD, the smaller agencies and organizations may not be able to exist because they wouldn’t have the funding to run their program.
The agencies that are funded by the Fair Housing Assistance Program are certified for a period of five years. The local agency knows the laws regarding fair housing, and they know how to take steps to address any fair housing complaints that they receive.
Fair Housing Complaints
If you feel you have been treated unfairly in the housing market, it’s crucial that you get help, so it is addressed. The law protects people from being treated unfairly in the housing market, and they will do what they can to fix the situation. They will also help make sure that it doesn’t happen to anyone else in the future.
Those who have been treated unfairly can lodge a complaint so that it is investigated and addressed. If you have a local agency, which is likely funded by the Fair Housing Assistance Program, they can be the first place that you contact. If you don’t know of a local fair housing agency in your area, you can always lodge a complaint with HUD.
Once you put in a fair housing complaint with HUD, they will send it to the agency that is in your area. Since they fund the fair housing agencies, they know where they are all located. Either route that you take will provide an opportunity to file the complaint and have it investigated.
Types of Fair Housing Assistance Program Complaints
The Fair Housing Assistance Program helps make it possible for the local agencies to help with complaints. Since the fair housing laws require that people be treated equally, there are a variety of possible complaints that could arise and lead to an investigation.
Housing discrimination is illegal, and HUD takes steps to address complaints about it. Here are some of the areas that are covered in the Fair Housing Act:
- Race
- Color
- National Origin
- Religion
- Sex (this includes gender identity, sexual orientation)
- Sexual harassment
- Disability
- Family status
HUD makes it illegal for those offering housing to discriminate against people due to the above reasons. They cannot turn someone away because of their race, disability, or gender orientation. HUD’s Fair Housing Assistance Program has a mission of trying to ensure that everyone is treated fairly in the housing market.
People cannot be denied housing, whether renting or buying, due to one of the above factors. If they do deny people housing for one of those characteristics, then they can have sanctions brought against them.
If you feel that you have been treated unfairly in the housing market due to one of the above characteristics, it is essential to report it. You can report it to your local fair housing agency or to HUD.