April 1, 2020

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Awards Grant to Local Non-Profit to Combat Housing Discrimination

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Thomas Navin, Development Director
Phone: (413) 727-7115
Email: tnavin@cla-ma.org

Community Legal Aid (CLA) is proud to announce that it has been awarded a three-year grant totaling $900,000 from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to combat housing discrimination. CLA is a non-profit legal services organization serving elderly and low-income residents of Central and Western Massachusetts. The grant will assist CLA in continuing its Fair Housing Project in Worcester County.

The Fair Housing Project is a partnership between Community Legal Aid and the City of Worcester. The goal of the Project is to protect and support vulnerable populations of tenants, particularly those who are low-income and elderly, in their goal of finding and keeping the rental housing of their choice.  Attorney Alyssa Golden, CLA’s Fair Housing Testing Coordinator, said, “The Worcester Fair Housing Project combats housing discrimination in Worcester County through legal representation, advocacy, and community outreach. The Project works to fight discrimination and ensure access to housing through litigation, education, and strong community partnerships. Whether due to race, disability, having children in the home, or any of the other characteristics protected under state and federal law, individuals and families may face discrimination while searching for new housing or while trying to keep the home they have.”

Under federal law, it is illegal for a housing provider to discriminate against a tenant or prospective tenant on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (having children in the household), or disability. In addition, Massachusetts also protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, ancestry, veteran status, age, source of income, and receipt of public assistance.  CLA is proud of this partnership with the City of Worcester and proud of its work to ensure no one is denied a home based on prejudice or discrimination.

One of the tools the Project uses to investigate housing discrimination complaints is fair housing testing, through which the Project trains neutral investigators to gather information so that Project attorneys can determine whether a housing provider has engaged in a discriminatory practice. The Project engages in testing based on intakes it receives as well as discriminatory language in advertising or other information that raises a concern about potential housing discrimination.

The grant to CLA is part of nearly $40 million awarded by HUD to organizations across the nation working to confront violations of the nation’s landmark Fair Housing Act and help end housing discrimination. The grants are being awarded by HUD to help people who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination and to educate the public and housing providers on the nation’s fair housing laws.

Community Legal Aid is grateful to HUD for its support with this important work.

About Community Legal Aid:

As the sole provider of free civil legal services for vulnerable low-income and elderly clients throughout the Central and Western Massachusetts region, Community Legal Aid engages in work that matters now more than ever. Our client communities affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak continue to need our services and we are committed to meeting those needs while balancing public safety and individual health.

Our work at Community Legal Aid is considered an essential service. Although our brick-and-mortar offices are now open by appointment only and most of our staff are working remotely, we remain committed to serving the low-income and elderly residents of Central and Western Massachusetts. Anyone facing a civil (non-criminal) legal crisis can apply for legal services through our communitylegal.org or by calling 855-252-5342.