Title
Approval and Adoption of the Assessment of Fair Housing (B)
This item requests the City Commission to conduct a public hearing to approve and adopt the Assessment of Fair Housing.
Explanation
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) operates several federally funded programs that benefit qualifying Cities and other entities. Programs funded by HUD include the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). As an entitlement jurisdiction, the City annually receives funds from those programs. In FY2017, the City is slated to receive a combined total of approximately $1.68 million from those programs. The City uses CDBG and HOME funds for many types of services, including Homeowner Rehabilitation, Down Payment Assistance, Homeless Services, Code Enforcement and other services.
In accordance with HUD’s regulations, grantees of certain HUD programs, including CDBG and HOME, are required to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AFFH) in their housing and community development activities. Under the new AFFH Final Rule, issued by HUD in July 2015, HUD grantees are required to prepare an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) for their jurisdictions. The AFH, which replaces the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice required under the previous AFFH rule, is designed to allow grantees to more effectively and efficiently plan for meeting their fair housing obligations. Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing is a legal requirement that federal agencies and federal grantees further the purposes of the Fair Housing Act. This obligation to affirmatively further fair housing has been in the Fair Housing Act since 1968. HUD’s AFFH rule provides an effective planning approach to aid program participants in taking meaningful actions to overcome historic patterns of segregation, promote fair housing choice, and foster inclusive communities that are free from discrimination.
In...
Click here for full text