New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund Inc

PRIVATE ENFORCEMENT INITIATIVES

PURPOSE: THIS PROPOSED FUNDING WILL ALLOW NJCAEF TO BUILD ON OUR SUCCESSFUL PEI-MY FY2019 GRANT NO. FPEI190056 (ENDING MARCH 2024) AND FHOI GRANTS IN FY2017 (ENDED 2019) AND FY2015, AND PROMOTE FAIR & EQUAL ACCESS TO HOUSING IN NJ, ELIMINATING HOUSING DISCRIMINATION THROUGH FAIR HOUSING ENFORCEMENT, EDUCATION & OUTREACH. NJCAEF IS COMMITTED TO AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING FAIR HOUSING & WILL CARRY OUT ACTIVITIES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATORY HOUSING PRACTICES & INFORM MEMBERS OF ALL SEVEN PROTECTED CLASSES OF THEIR RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THE FAIR HOUSING ACT. THE NEED FOR NJCAEF’S ENFORCEMENT PROJECT IS GREAT, GIVEN NJ’S DENSE & RACIALLY DIVERSE POPULATION (E.G., RECENT SPOTLIGHT ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND HOUSING, INCREASES IN HOUSING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST IMMIGRANTS, MUSLIMS, ASIANS, FAMILIAL STATUS, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, DISPLACED HOMEOWNERS/RENTERS AFFECTED BY COVID-19, DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY, APPRAISAL DISCRIMINATION, MORTGAGE LENDING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN ON MATERNITY LEAVE, AND AT THE STATE LEVEL, RENTERS ON HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHERS).; ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: AS OUTLINED IN OUR SOW, REQUESTED FUNDING WILL GROW OUR CAPACITY, BECOMING A MORE ESTABLISHED AND VIABLE FAIR HOUSING ENFORCEMENT ORGANIZATION BY ENABLING US TO EXPAND OUR ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM & STAFF. AS PART OF OUR PROJECT, OVER 36 MONTHS NJCAEF WILL: (1) EXPAND OUR FAIR HOUSING TEAM BY RECRUITING, HIRING AND TRAINING PART-TIME PROGRAM TESTING ASSISTANT; (2) CONDUCT AT LEAST 3 STAFF TRAININGS EACH YEAR TO IMPROVE EXPERTISE/EFFICIENCY OF PROJECT STAFF; (3) HIRE & TRAIN 15 NEW TESTERS EACH YEAR; (4) FURTHER DEVELOP & IMPLEMENT OUR TESTING PROGRAM BY: (4A) COORDINATING A MINIMUM OF 9 TESTER TRAININGS OVER 3 YEARS WITH VARIOUS LEVELS OF TRAININGS FOR BOTH NEW AND EXPERIENCED TESTERS; (4B) COORDINATING & CONDUCTING 195 PAIRED RENTAL TESTS OVER 3 YEARS (CONSISTING OF 390 INDIVIDUAL TEST PARTS); (4C) COORDINATING & CONDUCTING 45 PAIRED SALES TESTS OVER 3 YEARS (CONSISTING OF 90 INDIVIDUAL TEST PARTS); (4D) COORDINATING & CONDUCTING 75 ACCESS TESTS (CONSISTING OF 75 INDIVIDUAL TEST PARTS); (4E) COORDINATING & CONDUCTING 15 SYSTEMIC HOUSING INVESTIGATIONS; (4F) COORDINATING & CONDUCTING 2 MORTGAGE LENDING TESTS (CONSISTING OF 4 INDIVIDUAL TEST PARTS); (4G) COORDINATING & CONDUCTING 4 HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE TESTS (CONSISTING OF 8 INDIVIDUAL PARTS); (5) IMPROVE EVALUATION/MEASUREMENT OF ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES WITH PURCHASE & IMPLEMENTATION OF EVALUATION TOOL; (6) INTAKE & PROCESS AT LEAST 82 ALLEGATIONS OVER 3 YEARS; (7) ASSIST 25 COMPLAINANTS WITH MAKING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION OR REASONABLE MODIFICATION REQUESTS OVER 3 YEARS; (8) FAIR HOUSING OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AS PERMITTED BY PEI-NOFO GUIDELINES: (8A) DEVELOP, TRANSLATE, AND DISTRIBUTE AT LEAST 7,500 INFORMATIONAL BROCHURES, FLYERS, AND/OR OTHER MATERIALS IN ENGLISH, SPANISH & AT LEAST 1-2 OTHER LANGUAGES TBD BASED ON NEED OVER 3 YEARS; AND (8B) COORDINATE, CONDUCT AND/OR PARTICIPATE IN AT LEAST 18 FAIR HOUSING OUTREACH ACTIVITIES FOR CONSUMERS & HOUSING PROVIDERS IN TARGETED COUNTIES.; EXPECTED OUTCOMES: EXPECTED OUTCOMES: THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHER FAIR HOUSING BY DECREASING HOUSING DISCRIMINATION IN NEW JERSEY THROUGH EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF FAIR HOUSING LAWS. WITH REGARD TO IMPACT OF NJCAEF’S FAIR HOUSING EDUCATION AND OUTREACH, THE ACTIVITIES PROPOSED IN THIS APPLICATION (WHICH ARE IN ACCORDANCE WITH NOFO GUIDELINES AND EDUCATION AND OUTREACH LIMITS) ARE DESIGNED TO HELP INFORM PEOPLE WHO MAY BE AT RISK FOR DISCRIMINATION ABOUT THEIR RIGHTS UNDER FAIR HOUSING LAWS. WITH PEI-MY FUNDING, NJCAEF WILL UNDERTAKE THE FOLLOWING OVER 36 MONTHS: ((1) EXPAND OUR ENFORCEMENT STAFF WITH THE RECRUITMENT OF 1 ADDITIONAL QUALIFIED STAFF MEMBER WITH INVESTIGATIVE SKILLS, AND/OR OTHER RELEVANT FAIR HOUSING EXPERIENCE (I.E. PROGRAM TESTING ASSISTANT) (2) EXPAND OUR CURRENT TESTING ACTIVITIES AS A FAIR HOUSING ENFORCEMENT ORGANIZATION BY CONDUCTING SYSTEMIC TESTING, MORTGAGE LENDING TESTING, HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE TESTING AND OTHER INVESTIGATIONS IN ADDITION TO OUR EXISTING RENTAL, SALES, AND ACCESS TESTING WORK; (3) EXPAND OUR SERVICE AREA/GEOGRAPHIC REACH FROM 12 COUNTIES TO STATEWIDE (WITH A FOCUS ON 13 UNDERSERVED COUNTIES WITH THE GREATEST FAIR HOUSING NEED IN NJ, INCLUDING: PASSAIC, ATLANTIC, ESSEX, HUDSON, UNION, MIDDLESEX, OCEAN, MONMOUTH, SOMERSET, MERCER, MORRIS, BURLINGTON & CAMDEN COUNTIES), THUS PROVIDING FAIR HOUSING ENFORCEMENT TO A GREATER NUMBER OF HOME SEEKERS ACROSS NEW JERSEY; (4) ENHANCE OUR FAIR HOUSING ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES WITH THE USE OF AUDIO RECORDINGS FOR TESTING AND INVESTIGATIONS; (5) REFINE THE EVALUATION OF OUR FAIR HOUSING ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM USING A DATABASE SYSTEM TO BETTER TRACK & REPORT ON ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES; (6) EXPAND OUR EXPERTISE REGARDING HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE TESTING, MORTGAGE LENDING TESTING, AND THE USE OF AUDIO RECORDINGS, AS WELL RECEIVING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO PURCHASE AND IMPLEMENT THE ENFORCEMENT DATABASE BY SUBCONTRACTING WITH HECP; (7) OVER THE 36 MONTH GRANT TERM NJCAEF WILL REACH OUT TO AND DISTRIBUTE 7,500 MATERIALS, COORDINATING, CONDUCTING AND/OR PARTICIPATING IN OVER 28 FAIR HOUSING EVENTS FOR 750 INDIVIDUALS. ALL ACTIVITIES WILL BE AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH, SPANISH & 1-2 OTHER LANGUAGES TBD BASED ON NEED.; INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: TARGETING THIS ENFORCEMENT, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TO TRADITIONALLY UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS AND PROTECTED CLASSES (INCLUDING RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, SEX (INCLUDING GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION), DISABILITY, FAMILIAL STATUS, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN), FOCUSING ON LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY COMMUNITIES, LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES WITH HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF RACIAL & ETHNIC MINORITIES, & INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. AS INDICATED IN FUTURE RATING FACTORS, PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL BE CONDUCTED STATEWIDE WITH A CONCENTRATION IN THE GEOGRAPHIC AREA THAT INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING 13 NJ COUNTIES: PASSAIC, ESSEX, HUDSON, UNION, MIDDLESEX, OCEAN, MONMOUTH, MERCER, SOMERSET, MORRIS, BURLINGTON, CAMDEN, AND NEWLY ADDED ATLANTIC COUNTY, AS WELL AS OTHER REGIONS THROUGHOUT NEW JERSEY AS REQUIRED.; SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: NJCAEF WILL EXECUTE A SUBCONTRACT AGREEMENT WITH THE FAIR HOUSING COUNCIL OF SUBURBAN PHILADELPHIA, D/B/A HOUSING EQUALITY CENTER OF PENNSYLVANIA (HECP), THE NATION’S OLDEST FAIR HOUSING AGENCY, TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE & TRAINING ON LENDING & HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE TESTING, AUDIO RECORDING, SYSTEMIC INVESTIGATION, PROCESSING COMPLEX FAIR HOUSING CASES, AND USING THE MVFHC FAIR HOUSING ENFORCEMENT DATABASE FOR IMPROVED EVALUATION OF ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES.

FAIR HOUSING ORGANIZATION INITIATIVES

FAIR HOUSING ORGANIZATION INITIATIVES