BROWN ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $300,000 FOR FAIR HOUSING ASSISTANCE IN COLUMBUS

Press Release

Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) -- Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs -- announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded a $317,447 grant to Ohio State Legal Services Association (LSA) in Columbus. Ohio State LSA will use these funds to provide training and resources to the Community Action Agencies who are distributing emergency rental assistance throughout central and southeast Ohio. They will also screen eviction cases for potential fair housing violations, investigate cases of suspected housing discrimination in Franklin County, and conduct audits to ensure the city of Columbus' Source of Income law is being enforced. These funds are made possible through the American Rescue Plan, which Brown helped write and pass.

"More than 50 years after Congress passed the Fair Housing Act, access to housing remains unequal," said Brown. "These funds will help support the Ohio State Legal Services Association's work to protect Ohioans from housing discrimination and to help victims of discrimination seek justice."

The Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) funds fair housing organizations and other nonprofits that assist individuals who believe that they have been victims of housing discrimination.

Source