New PRRAC website! It has been quite a challenge, but we have successfully modernized our website without sacrificing its long-running archival features (don’t worry, your footnotes are safe!). See the new website here.
NHFA v Carson: The plaintiffs have responded to the government’s latest motion to dismiss this case challenging the indefinite suspension of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, and oral arguments on all pending motions are scheduled for the second week in August. Our outstanding co-counsel team includes the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, Relman Dane & Colfax, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, PRRAC, ACLU, and Public Citizen. Defendants are represented by the U.S. Department of Justice. Please feel free to distribute this AFFH explainer video featuring Lisa Cylar Barrett of PolicyLink on social media – it does a good job of highlighting what is at stake in the case.
Protecting the AFFH process: If the court reinstates the AFFH process, there is still a concern that HUD may respond by issuing a weaker assessment tool that does not achieve the goals of the AFFH rule. The current assessment tool, which was a purported basis for HUD’s suspension of the rule, is a dynamic document that forces jurisdictions to confront their history and current patterns of segregation and neighborhood disparities. Earlier this week we submitted regulatory comments from a wide range of civil rights and housing groups and researchers defending the current assessment form, which had been successfully used by dozens of jurisdictions before HUD’s January suspension of the rule.
National Conference on Housing Mobility: Register today and reserve your hotel room for this two day conference on October 16-17 in Washington, DC. Sponsored by PRRAC, Mobility Works, and the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities.
Fellowship season: PRRAC is hoping to sponsor a fellowship proposal for a graduating law student through Equal Justice Works, Skadden, or other post-graduate fellowship opportunities. If you know a talented third year law student who is looking for an opportunity to work on housing, education, and environmental justice issues in a progressive law & policy organization, please tell them to submit a cover letter and resume to Megan Haberle at mhaberle@prrac.org.
Other resources and opportunities
The National Collaborative for Health Equity is rolling out a new data tool, the Health Opportunity and Equity (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative provides data on health, opportunity, and equity for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Twenty-eight indicators cover health and well-being, social environment, physical environment and access to healthcare with data points and benchmarks available by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. To learn more, there is a webinar today (July 26th) from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon EDT. Register here.
Public Advocates is hiring a Housing Justice Attorney and needs your help finding great candidates! See the posting here.
