The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is giving $350,000 to the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii to investigate and fight housing discrimination.
The grant is part of $38 million that HUD is awarding to organizations nationally to conduct outreach and enforcement regarding fair housing.
The funding comes just two months after the Hawaii Disability Rights Center filed a complaint with HUD contending that the Hawaii Public Housing Authority doesn’t provide enough units that are accessible to disabled people.

The Legal Aid Society of Hawaii settled a case with the Housing Authority earlier this year after an immigrant couple alleged the agency didn’t provide an interpreter during eviction-related hearings.
The nonprofit also represented a homeless woman who said Hawaii’s biggest homeless shelter, the Institute for Human Services, told her she couldn’t stay there because she couldn’t get up off the floor without assistance. The case was settled last year.
“Every person should have a fair chance to live in a community of opportunity, free from discrimination,” said HUD Secretary Julián Castro said in a press release. “HUD remains deeply committed to fighting housing discrimination so folks have an equal shot at achieving the American Dream. Working closely with our fair housing partners on the ground, the investments we make today are a strong step forward to put an end to housing discrimination.”
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About the Author
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Anita Hofschneider is a reporter for Civil Beat. You can reach her by email at anita@civilbeat.org or follow her on Twitter at @ahofschneider.