States and Cities across the US Receive Hope VI Grant

A number of cities across the US have received Hope VI grants to support the revitalization of public housing units. Washington, DC, Boston, North Carolina, and New Orleans have all received $20 million Hope VI grants, and Phoenix has received an $8.9 million Hope VI grant. Recipients are selected through a competitive process that is based on factors such as the effectiveness and readiness of their plans for revitalization, and are granted by HUD with the flexibility to develop plans that are tailored to individual local needs. The funds are also awarded based on an area’s ability to follow through on the projects into completion.

For more information on this story, and Hope IV grants, please visit: http://www.hud.gov/news/morereleases.cfm

Chicago Landlord Charged with Violating Fair Housing Act

According to HUD, Chicago landlords Martin and Mary Giarelli have been charged with discriminating against families with Children. The couple has been accused of refusing to rent to families with children, and also with making statements that discriminate against such prospective renters. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination of any kind based on family status, and follow-up investigation by HUD confirmed that the Giarelli’s did in fact practice housing discrimination.

For more information on this story, please visit: http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr08-042.cfm

Texas Subdivision Owners Violate Fair Housing Act

According to HUD, three subdivision owners, Crow-Billingsley Air Park, Ltd., Airpark-Dallas Zoning Committee, and Airpark GP, L.L.C., have been charged with violating the Fair Housing Act by denying accommodations for a disabled resident. The subdivision owners asked the disabled resident to remove a footbridge that she had installed to allow her access to her mailbox, even though they had previously approved it. This action violated the Fair Housing Act because other residents had installed their own provisions on the property without previous approval, yet none of them had ever been asked to remove the installations. In this case, disabled residents especially have the right to move about and enjoy their own homes.

For more information about this story, and the Fair Housing Act, please visit:
http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr08-043.cfm