Call Congress on the Fair Housing funding gap for Long Island

This is personal!

US HUD logoThere is a national campaign to call Congress today because HUD still has not released the funding application for fair housing nonprofits who fight housing discrimination (PEI NOFA). This will affect nearly 1/3 of all nonprofit grantees, including Long Island Housing Services because we are near the end of our 3-year HUD grant. The upcoming funding gap means that as of February 15, 2020 Long Island Housing services will have to . . .

decrease our Fair Housing enforcement
for Long Island.

Please call your Representatives and Senators TODAY!

Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Senators and Representatives Ask to speak to the staffer who handles housing or appropriations. If you are sent to voicemail, please leave a detailed message and follow up with an email. Use the short talking points below.

Follow up with an email using the talking points below!

Talking Points

  • Ask the congressional staffer to urge the Senator or Congressperson to contact HUD and demand that: the federal Fiscal Year 2019 fair housing enforcement funding application (FHIP NOFA) be released immediately.
  • Nearly 1/3 of PEI grant award recipients are currently operating at the end of their federal Fiscal Year 2016 3-year PEI grants including Long Island Housing Services. We will face funding gaps due to this entirely avoidable FHIP NOFA grant application delay.
  • These delays literally force fair housing organizations to halt services for victims of discrimination and lay off or furlough highly trained fair housing specialists, including Long Island Housing Services. After the Newsday Long Island Divided investigation called for increased funding to fight housing discrimination, it is inexcusable that instead the currently existing funding will stop completely for Long Island.
  • The new grant application has not been announced despite the funds having already being allocated by Congress. Even if the application were issued today, the new grant funds would not come in, at best, until mid-2020, leaving LIHS with a funding gap that stretches over at least several months.
  • We are nearing the end of the first quarter of Federal Fiscal Year 2020 and HUD has yet to release the Federal Fiscal Year 2019 grant application (PEI NOFA).
  • There is no legitimate justification for this delay – the FHIP NOFA grant application changes very little, if at all, from year to year.
  • Currently there are 22 HUD NOFA grant applications open. There is no reason FHIP grant application cannot be one of them.

You can also personally underwrite the cost of investigating and filing Fair Housing complaints by donating to Long Island Housing Services to keep fighting housing discrimination on Long Island year-round.

How to report Housing Discrimination

If you believe that you have been discriminated against in seeking housing, please call Long Island Housing Services at 631-567-5111 ext. 375 to speak to a trained Fair Housing Investigator or Advocate or email info@LIFairHousing.org.

Si usted cree que ha sido discriminado al buscar vivienda, llame a Long Island Housing Services al 631-567-5111 ext. 378 para hablar con un investigador o defensor de vivienda justa capacitado. También puede enviar un correo electrónico a info@LIFairHousing.org.

About Long Island Housing Services
Founded in 1969, Long Island Housing Services, Inc. (www.LIFairHousing.org) is a private, nonprofit HUD-qualified Fair Housing Enforcement Organization and a federally certified, approved Housing Counseling agency. LIHS’ mission is the elimination of unlawful housing discrimination and promotion of decent and affordable housing through advocacy and education.

Why should I support Long Island Housing Services?

In recent years, Long Island Housing Services has won more victories for Long Island families by stopping government abuse of minority tenants in Mastic Beach and wiping out vestiges of Nazi Era prejudice in Yaphank, and fighting the sexual harassment of minors in Patchogue.

Charitable Information

A copy of our most recently filed financial report is available from the Charities Registry on the New York State Attorney General’s website (www.charitiesnys.com) or, upon request, by contacting the New York State Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 28 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10005, or us at 640 Johnson Avenue, Suite 8, Bohemia, NY 11716 or www.LIFairHousing.org. You also may obtain information on charitable organizations from the New York State Office of the Attorney General at www.charitiesnys.com or (212) 416-8401.