The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) has issued a Letter of Findings within the investigation of Cushing Housing, Inc., and property supervisor Oklahoma Property Management, Inc. (OPMI), each recipients of HUD funds. HUD discovered the respondents discriminated in opposition to tenants of Cimarron Towers—a multi-unit growth situated in Cushing, Oklahoma for residents who’re aged or have a incapacity—by failing to adequately reply to recognized severe racial harassment and retaliated by transferring to terminate their tenancy.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the premise of race by recipients of federal monetary help. Cushing Housing and OPMI are required to adjust to Title VI as a result of they’re a recipient and subrecipient, respectively, of Federal monetary help from HUD.
“Bigotry and racial discrimination have no place in housing. It is inexcusable for a HUD-funded housing provider to discriminate and retaliate against its tenants while denying them the ability to peacefully enjoy their housing” mentioned Demetria L. McCain, HUD’s Principal Deputy Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “This Letter of Findings of Noncompliance demonstrates HUD’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that entities receiving HUD funding comply with their civil rights obligations and that all individuals have the opportunity to live in HUD-assisted housing, free from discrimination.”
The case initially got here to HUD’s consideration when the complainants, a mom, and her daughter, filed a grievance with HUD alleging that that they had been discriminated in opposition to by Cushing Housing and OPMI as a result of race of the daughter’s boyfriend.
When the daughter, who’s white, was seen courting a person who’s Black, the complainants grew to become the goal of extreme and pervasive racial harassment from different tenants on the property. The complainants have been repeatedly known as racial slurs by different tenants and have been threatened with racially motivated violence. HUD’s investigation discovered that complainants repeatedly notified Cushing Housing and OPMI of the racial harassment, however the recipients didn’t adequately tackle the harassment.
When Cushing Housing and OPMI responded, it was within the kind of a discover to vacate to each the complainant mom in addition to the harassers. HUD’s investigation thus revealed that the complainant mom was additionally unlawfully retaliated in opposition to for her efforts to have the harassment addressed.
Cimarron Towers had been funded below two HUD applications: the Section 202 program and the Section 8 project-based rental help program. At the time of the discriminatory actions, self-reported demographic information signifies the property was roughly 88.8% white, 4.4% Black, and 6.6% American-Indian/Alaskan Native.
HUD will try to hunt remedial reduction for the complainants and public curiosity reduction by means of modifications to insurance policies and procedures by means of a Voluntary Compliance Agreement/Conciliation Agreement in an effort to make the complainant complete and get rid of discriminatory practices.
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