2019 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing: Phase 1 Report

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Preface This report was solicited from staff at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa to fulfill the requirement of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that all agencies receiving federal housing funds conduct an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing every five years. This report was commissioned by and its scope pertains to the following agencies: The Hawaii Public Housing Authority (HPHA); The Department of Human Services' Benefits, Employment and Support Services Division (DHS-BESSD); The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL); The Hawai`i Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC); The City and County of Honolulu's Department of Community Services (DCS); The County of Hawai`i's Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD); The County of Maui's Department of Housing and Human Concerns (DHHC); The Kauai County Housing Agency (KCHA). Based on consultation with HUD representatives, this report focuses on two primary impediments: 1) agency staff knowledge of fair housing law; 2) the degree to which agency policies and procedures (legal, regulatory, and administrative) align with fair housing law and affirmatively promote equal access to housing for all Hawai`i's residents. Given the tight timeline of this report (commissioned per MOA on October 1, 2019), it will be limited to the issues indicated above. A follow up report, scheduled for completion December 2020, will take a wider view of the Hawai`i's fair housing issues, engaging stakeholders across the state and conducting targeted analyses designed to help agencies further their goals of promoting equal opportunity. All the authors would like to thank each of the agencies involved in this process for their assistance in the preparation of this report. Your dedication to fair housing and the well-being of your clients, often in the face of severe resource constraints, is truly inspiring. 2