On July 17, 2025, with a 35-28 partisan vote, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations approved a draft spending bill for the funding of US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs for fiscal year 2026 (FY2026). Compared to the previous year, the bill would take away $939 million from HUD activities, including fair housing programs across the country. The federal government seeks to allocate only $68 million for HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) which represents a cut of $18 million from its current budget, at a time when fair housing issues are escalating and the office is already under-resourced.

What’s at Stake in Broward & Miami-Dade

In our region, HOPE Inc. relies on this funding for a significant portion of our operations, including:
• Investigating housing discrimination complaints
• Providing fair housing education and outreach
• Offering counseling and support to impacted residents
Without this funding, housing discrimination victims in Broward and Miami-Dade could lose essential services and be left without protection from illegal, unfair housing practices.

HOPE reaches thousands of people every year. In our absence, where will the thousands of people turn next year when they face discrimination? And the year after that? And the year after THAT? In 2023 (the most recent available figures), local governments handled about 19% of housing discrimination complaints, nationwide. The federal government handled about 6% of the cases. Fair housing agencies like HOPE dealt with the remaining 75% of fair housing complaints!

Here are ways to take action:
• Please use the following link to NFHA’s Call to Action to contact members of Congress in support of fully funding FHIP: Act Now: Urge Congress to Support Critical Fair Housing Enforcement Funding in the FY ‘26 Budget.
– After you contact your members of Congress, please pass the link on to your friends and family!

• Please use the following link to sign the Change.org petition in support of funding FHIP: Petition · Seniors, Veterans, Survivors Could Lose Housing Protections — Speak Out Now! – United States · Change.org.
– We have a goal of reaching 5,000 signatories – please help us reach our goal!
– After you sign the petition, please pass the link on to your friends and family!

• Please follow the National Fair Housing Alliance on Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and BlueSky.

Your support is always appreciated! Thank you! If you have questions about this initiative, please reach out to HOPE at (305) 651-4673.