Fair Housing Coordinator

                  

Watch Video Click Here

Voluntary Home Buyout Program (VHBP) Fair Housing Guidelines

The City of Edgewater, FL will undertake and manage the CDBG-DR VHBP in conformity with the federal Fair Housing Act, the Florida Fair Housing Act, Section 104(b)(2) of the Housing Community Development (HCD) Act of 1974 and other federal and state regulations governing fair housing.  Additionally, the City will adhere to fair housing requirements outlined in the sub-recipient agreement with FL DEO.  In managing and implementing the VHBP the City will take actions to ensure that no person shall, on the ground of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, familial status, or disability, be:

  • excluded from participation in
  • be denied the benefits of
  • be subjected to discrimination under
  • or be denied access to the CDBG-DR VHBP. 

The City has adopted Resolution 2022-R-27 for VHBP Fair Housing Activities which included the designation of the VHBP Project Manager (also known as the Local Government Project Contact in the VHBP Subrecipient Agreement) as the Fair Housing Coordinator.  The City will undertake the following activities in order to comply with fair housing regulations and to affirmatively further fair housing through the VHBP:

  • Fair housing informational posters will be located in the VHBP offices notifying the public of their fair housing rights.  
  • The City will include contact information for both the Fair Housing Coordinator as well as state and HUD fair housing contacts on the City’s website.
  • The City will engage in quarterly fair housing activities and report those as required by the Sub-recipient Agreement.
  • The City has developed a formal fair housing complaint form and the Fair Housing Coordinator will record all formal complaints and refer complainants to the appropriate fair housing specialist through the state or HUD offices.  Fair Housing Complaint forms for the Florida Commission on Human Relations and HUD will also be maintained on file by the Fair Housing Coordinator and available to the public.  VHBP staff will provide copies of any received complaint forms to the Volusia County Housing Authority.
  • The Fair Housing Coordinator will maintain a record of any related calls including a log of calls received, the nature of the call, the actions taken, and any resulting referrals.
  • While the Fair Housing Coordinator does not have the legal authority pursue or enforce potential fair housing issues or violations outside of the scope of the VHBP, the Fair Housing Coordinator will provide complainants with the necessary contacts to further address those issues or may contact those additional fair housing resources as deemed appropriate.
  • In addition to ensuring that fair housing conflicts do not arise through the implementation of the VHBP, the Fair Housing Coordinator will provide applicants with fair housing resources if fair housing conflicts appear to occur outside of the direct oversight of the VHBP.  This may include cases where applicants seeking relocation housing may appear to be subject of fair housing issues or discrimination.

The City of Edgewater, FL will take additional measures to affirmatively market the CDBG Disaster Recovery Program, as follows:

  • The City of Edgewater, FL will make all efforts to communicate, both orally and in writing, in appropriate languages to affected residents.
  • The City of Edgewater, FL will provide reasonable accommodations as needed to make the VHBP accessible to people with disabilities.  
  • The City of Edgewater will retain documentation of all marketing measures used, including copies of all advertisements and announcements that will be available for public viewing upon request.

The City of Edgewater, FL will retain all fair housing documentation and records in compliance with the record retention policies of the VHBP.

How to make a Fair Housing Complaint

To make a Fair Housing complaint, contact Samantha Bergeron, Fair Housing Coordinator at 386-424-2400 Ext. 7201.

You may also contact the State of Florida or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to make a Fair Housing Complaint:

To file a Fair Housing complaint, please fill out the below form.

 

  • Printer-friendly version