[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 84 (Monday, May 1, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25432-25434]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-10797]



[[Page 25431]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Part II





Department of Housing and Urban Development





-----------------------------------------------------------------------



Fair Housing Initiatives Program; Public Forum Focus Group Meeting 
Information; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 84 / Monday, May 1, 2000 / Notices  

[[Page 25432]]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4560-N-04]


Fair Housing Initiatives Program; Notice of Public Forum Focus 
Group Meeting Information

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal 
Opportunity, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of information from a 
Focus Group Meeting held in connection with the preparation for a 
National Best Practices Symposium for 2000. Among the topics discussed 
was information that may be related to the Fair Housing Partnership 
Component (FHPC) of the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) funding 
availability announcement that was part of HUD's SuperNOFA, published 
February 24, 2000.

DATES: Comment Due Date: May 31, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
any aspect of the Focus Group Meeting to the Rules Docket Clerk, Office 
of General Counsel, Room 10278, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 451 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20410. 
Communications should refer to the above docket number and title. A 
copy of each communication submitted will be available for public 
inspection and copying between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. weekdays at the 
above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, please 
contact Lauretta A. Dixon, Director, FHIP/FHAP Support Division, Office 
of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, Washington, DC 20410. As additional information regarding 
the Focus Groups Meetings becomes available, it will be posted on HUD's 
website (www.hud.gov/). Information also may be obtained by contacting 
your local HUD office, or by contacting the Office of Fair Housing and 
Equal Opportunity, or the Best Practices Office in the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW, Room 4116, 
Washington, DC 20410; telephone (202) 708-4252 (This is not a toll-free 
number). Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access that 
number via TTY by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-
800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

I. Background--Availability of Information and Request for Comments

    In preparation for a National Best Practices Symposium for 2000, 
HUD is arranging Focus Group Meetings by each major office in the 
Department. In the Focus Group Meetings, groups and organizations that 
received 1999 Best Practices nominations and awards are invited to 
participate in the planning of the 2000 Symposium. On February 24, 
2000, the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity conducted a 
Focus Group Meeting entitled, ``Building Fair Housing and Equal 
Opportunity Coalitions--A Model for Ending Discrimination in 
Communities.'' Some of the participants in this Building FHEO 
Coalitions Focus Group Meeting are current Fair Housing Partners under 
the Fair Housing Initiatives and the Fair Housing Assistance Programs, 
and some of the discussions that took place may be helpful to 
applicants under the Fair Housing Partnership Component (FHPC) of the 
Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) funding availability 
announcement that was part of HUD's SuperNOFA, published February 24, 
2000 (see 65 FR 9322, at 9485).
    Those attending the Focus Group Meeting on Building FHEO Coalitions 
responded to an invitation sent to all 1999 Best Practices nominees, 
and came at their own expense to participate in this Meeting, which was 
held at HUD, 451 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 
PM. The following attendees represented fair housing agencies: Tracey 
Gill, Baltimore Neighborhoods, Inc.; Lee Porter, Fair Housing Council, 
New Jersey; Mary Davis, Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Department of 
Development; Louise W. Lorenz and Jan Alderton Pallesen of the Cedar 
Rapids, Iowa, Civil Rights Commission; Nancy Downing of the Connecticut 
Fair Housing Center; and Barbara Snow and Tyrone Davis of the Housing 
Authority of Baltimore City. Attendees met with HUD officials in a one 
day session to discuss a HUD model for ``Building Fair Housing and 
Equal Opportunity Coalitions--A Model for Ending Discrimination in 
Communities,'' and strengths and weaknesses within that model.
    This Notice is published to inform the public that an audio tape of 
the Focus Group Meeting is available by contacting any of the sources 
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice. 
The text of the model document discussed at the meeting follows below 
in section II. of this notice. HUD invites the public to comment on 
this model document. The Department also welcomes comments on the 
issues discussed in the Focus Group Meeting. Please submit your 
comments in accordance with the requirements of the DATES and ADDRESSES 
sections of this notice. After consideration of the comments received, 
HUD may prepare a revised model for presentation at the National Best 
Practices Symposium for 2000.

II. Discussion Document

    The following document was discussed at the Focus Group Meeting 
held on February 24, 2000:

Building Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Coalitions A Model for 
Ending Discrimination in Communities

    The Department of Housing and Urban Development is committed to 
eliminating racial and ethnic segregation, illegal physical and other 
barriers to persons with disabilities and other discriminatory 
practices in housing. Equal and free access to residential housing 
(housing choice) is fundamental to meeting essential needs and pursuing 
personal, educational, employment, or other goals. Because housing 
choice is so critical, fair housing is a goal that Government, public 
officials, and private citizens must achieve if equal opportunity is to 
become a reality.
    HUD works with various agencies across the country to help remedy 
discrimination in the housing industry. Working in communities, these 
agencies enforce substantially equivalent fair housing laws and 
ordinances and educate and promote fair housing awareness. Great 
strides have been made in increasing awareness and breaking down the 
barriers to equal housing choice in America. However, until 
discrimination is eliminated, we must continue to explore ways to 
better address the causes of discrimination and methods for breaking 
down the barriers that prevent equal housing choices. Developing local 
fair housing partnerships is one such method for improving performance.
    Local fair housing partnerships are an essential component of any 
community's strategy for fighting for fair housing. Working together, 
organizations can expand their resources and build on each others 
experience and efforts to combat the negative forces within a community 
that foster discrimination.
    Performance Goal: Developing local fair housing partnerships will 
result in more housing options, both rental and homeownership, for 
persons in a community, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, 
national origin, familial status or disability.

[[Page 25433]]

    Guiding Principles for Forming Fair Housing Partnerships: Overall 
there are two overriding reasons to form fair housing partnerships, one 
is the commitment to a common goal, the other is the need to stretch 
scarce resources.
    Shared Vision: Fair Housing organizations have a common goal: 
reducing and eventually eliminating discrimination in housing. Other 
organizations within the community have shared and/or mutual interests 
in achieving the goal of fair housing.
    Resources Sharing: Organizations are limited by the amount of 
resources they have. Government resources are either being reduced and/
or becoming increasingly competitive to acquire. Resource sharing can 
leverage the limited budgets of organizations and result in more 
positive outcomes.

Factors for Building Successful Fair Housing Partnerships

    Factor #1: Identify key stakeholders. Within every community 
several organizations, agencies and individuals have an interest in 
eliminating discrimination. Seek out and identify who these entities 
are within your community. Examples include:
    Fair Housing Organizations. Fair housing organizations, including 
human relations commissions and voluntary, nonprofit organizations 
focusing on fair housing problems
    Other Governments. Other government agencies and/or authorities in 
the metropolitan area or region
    Advocacy Groups. Advocacy groups and organizations that have among 
their concerns the needs (including housing needs) of particular 
segments of the population, such as people with disabilities; families 
with children; immigrants and homeless persons; and specific racial or 
ethnic groups (Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Americans, 
Alaskan Natives)
    Housing Providers. Housing providers and representatives of 
landlords/owners.
    Banks and Other Financial Institutions. Banks and other financial 
institutions that can provide loans (including residential) and other 
financial support to improve homes or areas of the community where 
living conditions have deteriorated
    Educational Institutions. Educational institutions and their 
representatives, including the administrators and teachers/professors 
who can assist in conducting studies and developing educational 
activities for delivery in formal and informal settings.
    Other Organizations. Other organizations and individuals, such as 
neighborhood organizations and representatives, can provide 
information, ideas, or support.
    General Public. The general public can also be involved and can be 
a critical element in successful program implementation
    Factor #2: Develop Your Organization's Purpose. Organizations 
should develop an comprehensive vision that outlines the desired 
outcomes they intend to pursue. They should also develop a mission 
statement that describes the strategy for achieving the organization's 
vision. Identifying the organization's purpose will help clarify roles 
in future partnerships.
    Factor #3: Identify Common Goals. Seek out organizations that share 
your organization's goals and objectives. Once these are identified, 
discussions regarding mutual benefits and outcomes can be discussed and 
the benefits of partnership explored.
    Factor #4: Seek Out Non-Traditional Partners. Organizations may 
have common interests in outcomes that result from equal housing 
choice. Private industry organizations may realize more profits as a 
result of fair housing partnerships through the generation of more 
business.
    Factor #5: Establish the Partnership. Clearly define the roles and 
responsibilities of each of the partners. If feasible, codify the 
relationships through written agreements, such as Memorandum of 
Understandings. Develop procedures/policies that facilitate the success 
of the partnership. The partnership should also establish goals and 
objectives that will determine the success of the partnership.
    Factor #6: Resource Identification. Clearly define the resources, 
financial, human or institutional, that each of the partners brings to 
the table. A delineation and definition of how the resources will be 
shared and/or leveraged should be included in any written agreement.
    Factor #7: Evaluation. The partners should continually assess the 
progress being made toward stated goals and objectives and evaluate 
areas for improvement. This will help ensure that the partners are 
obtaining the desired results from the partnership.
    The formation of partnerships between organizations or between 
public and private entities has several benefits. Most agencies will 
have the same goals, missions and objectives, so partnerships are 
logical. There are programmatic and efficiency reasons, including but 
not limited to, the following.

Reduce Duplication of Effort

    With agencies performing similar activities there is the chance of 
a duplication of effort. For example, a variety of groups may provide 
the public with an awareness of the fair housing laws. By pooling 
resources and working together they reduce the chance of duplication of 
effort and money saved can be used for other efforts.

Work in the Community

    Together they can have a strong voice in the community. Their 
partnering can influence state and local decisions regarding housing.

Looking to Help the Same People

    The federal Fair Housing Act fights discrimination in housing if it 
is based on one the following classes: color, religion, handicap, 
familial status, race, sex, and national origin. Agencies will, at a 
minimum, provide protection for these classes.

[[Page 25434]]

Use Respective Strengths to Help Each Other

    There are times between grants when agencies, unfortunately because 
they rely so heavily on government money, have little left to continue 
their operations. Partners have been known to step in during these 
periods to provide subcontracts to the such agencies to keep them 
operating.

Ensure Consistency of Effort

    It is important that both the public and private entities are 
performing their tasks in ways that accurately reflect the fair housing 
laws in their communities. Having open communication and knowing what 
each other is doing ensures that each is following the laws.

Coordinating With Other Governmental Agencies

    Oftentimes, the work of enforcing the provisions of the Federal 
Fair Housing Act and the substantially equivalent fair housing laws or 
States and local governments, require crossing governmental (State/
local/Federal) lines. It can require that public and/or private 
agencies work with the Federal government to complete a specific task.
    Partnerships can form when groups looking for similar outcomes can 
pool limited resources to reach those outcomes. The major goal of fair 
housing agencies is to combat housing discrimination through education 
and enforcement activities.

    Dated: April 21, 2000.
Eva M. Plaza,
Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
[FR Doc. 00-10797 Filed 4-28-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-28-P