![]() “While dealing with the struggles the pandemic has brought, too many residents have also had to suffer through the harms discrimination brings. McCain, HUD’s principal deputy assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity, said in a statement. “As we embark on our new normal, our country has sadly carried the housing discrimination of old with it,” Demetria L. Haynes’ organization has seen a surge in calls in general, but a higher ratio of people of color have been calling with housing questions and complaints, Haynes said. “If you find out you’re being evicted, even if you have a voucher, there is just a shortage of affordable housing throughout Michigan, so it just exacerbates the stress people feel.” “A big part of the problem is the lack of places to move,” Haynes said. The growing number of calls and surge in caseload is not unique to West Michigan, according to Haynes, who hears similar stories from housing organizations across the country. “We had seven staff members as of June 2021, and we’ve grown to nine staff and still could hire more people if we had more funding,” Haynes said. Landlords and property owners also use the center as a resource to ask questions about how to comply with fair housing practices. The center takes complaints of housing discrimination and also launches its own investigations based on national trends. The caseload for 2022 could be as high as 250 cases when the state’s COVID Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA) program ends, Haynes said. In 2021, the organization dealt with about 200 cases that mostly took place during the second half of the year after a federal eviction moratorium was lifted, Haynes said. ![]() In a typical pre-pandemic year, the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan has about 150 cases involving housing discrimination claims. Since June 2021, the number of calls we’ve had has skyrocketed.” “It’s essential and we weren’t sure how we were going to manage without this extra funding. “It comes in the nick of time,” Haynes said. The funding announced today is on top of annual funding that the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan applies for through HUD, Executive Director Nancy Haynes told MiBiz. Another $3.28 million will be available to eligible applicants that are not included in initial funding rounds.Īgencies can use the funds to conduct housing education and outreach activities and to address fair housing inquiries, complaints and investigations. The Grand Rapids-based Fair Housing Center of West Michigan will receive $125,000. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced a total of $2.47 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the 11 organizations. GRAND RAPIDS - The Fair Housing Center of West Michigan is one of 11 agencies in the country receiving federal funding to support housing discrimination victims who have been increasingly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |