Partnership to cultivate next generation of civil rights professional
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it is partnering with the John Marshall Law School in Chicago and Cloudburst Consulting Group, Inc., to develop the National Fair Housing Training Academy (NFHTA). The Academy will prepare fair housing advocates, lawyers, investigators, and other stakeholders on effective strategies and techniques for addressing discriminatory housing policies and practices throughout the nation.
The Academy will also play a central role in providing information and instruction that will advance the letter and spirit of the Fair Housing Act. Through this partnership, John Marshall Law School will receive $1.5 million over the next two years under HUD’s Community Compass Technical Assistance and Capacity Building grant program. John Marshall Law School will provide training related to civil rights history, current trends in housing discrimination, and investigating housing discrimination complaints. John Marshall is a preeminent legal institution well known for its focus on fair housing law, investigative techniques, and adult learning theory.
“HUD is taking this important step to ensure that current and future generations of young people have the tools they need to combat housing discrimination,” said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. “Today, we reaffirm our commitment to creating equal housing opportunities for every American. This commitment is just as strong today as it was in 1968 when the Fair Housing Act became the law of the land.”
Based in Landover, Maryland, Cloudburst Consulting Group, Inc., which partners with governmental agencies to promote social, economic, and environmental resilience, will receive nearly $1.5 million over the next two years to assist HUD in revolutionizing the way the Academy offers fair housing training throughout the nation, including launching an online platform to deliver trainings more effectively while resulting in significant cost savings to taxpayers.
In addition to providing training, the Academy will also serve as a think tank and conduit through which current and future generations of civil rights professionals share and explore best practices and develop ways to raise industry standards. This includes creating a consistently evolving clearinghouse of fair housing education and outreach materials.
“The Academy will offer greater flexibility in how we prepare fair housing professionals to take on today’s fair housing challenges and represents an important step in training our fair housing partners around the country,” said Anna María Farías, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “The teaching approaches and cutting-edge instruction will be the beginning of a process that enhances our ability to fight discrimination and ensures that fair housing remains a central tenet of the American way of life.”
Persons who believe they have experienced discrimination may file a complaint by contacting HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777 (voice) or (800) 927-9275 (TTY).