National Fair Housing Alliance Applauds Court Decision Halting HUD’s and the DOGE Task Force’s Termination of Grants to Fight Housing Discrimination

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

National Fair Housing Alliance Applauds Court Decision Halting HUD’s and the DOGE Task Force’s Termination of Grants to Fight Housing Discrimination

Washington, D.C. – Today, Judge Richard G. Stearns of the U.S. District Court in the District of Massachusetts issued an order granting a temporary restraining order reinstating 78 Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) grants that fair housing groups use to fight housing discrimination. These grants were abruptly terminated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at the behest of the agency’s internal task force of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

In response, Lisa Rice, President and CEO, National Fair Housing Alliance® (NFHA™) released the following statement:

“We are grateful for today’s decision granting a temporary restraining order, halting the wrongful and unlawful termination of FHIP grants to fight housing discrimination. This action, taken by HUD at the direction of its internal DOGE task force, is endangering everyday people while empowering wealthy landlords and others to discriminate.

Fair housing organizations are on the front lines of efforts to combat housing discrimination through enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. Without their efforts, survivors of sexual harassment in housing; veterans with disabilities requiring accessible housing; people of color seeking to buy a home free of racial harassment, and families with children would have no protection or anywhere to turn to uphold the law. The Trump Administration’s abrupt elimination of funding threatened drastic consequences for at least 66 non-profit organizations around the country and creates fear, chaos, insecurity, and dysfunction in an already fragile housing market. FHIP grants, which are authorized by Congress and receive annual appropriations, have been provided for decades under administrations of both parties and are key to the nation’s ability to enforce the Fair Housing Act and ensure equal access to housing.”

Read the judge’s order here.

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The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) is the country’s only national civil rights organization dedicated solely to eliminating all forms of housing and lending discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all people. As the trade association for over 170 fair housing and justice-centered organizations and individuals throughout the U.S. and its territories, NFHA works to dismantle longstanding barriers to equity and build diverse, inclusive, well-resourced communities.