Putting Recent HUD actions in respect to Westchester in context

The Westchester Journal News reports that the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) has rejected Westchester’s 2009 Consolidated Plan submission and affirmatively furthering fair housing certification and “is blocking, temporarily at least, Westchester’s ability to give out $14 million to $20 million in Community Development Block Grant” and other federal funds.  In the Anti-Discrimination Center’s opinion, Westchester is now engaged in a not-very-subtle public process of seeking to divert the understandable consternation of some recipients away from its own misconduct and in the direction of HUD.  The Center’s statement follows:

Westchester now appears to be blaming HUD for Westchester’s own failure to take its affirmatively furthering fair housing obligations seriously.  Efforts to undermine public understanding of why HUD’s actions were necessary are surely counterproductive.

A well-respected federal judge found earlier this year that the affirmatively furthering fair housing obligations are rooted in the Fair Housing Act’s central goal of ending residential segregation, and that Westchester “utterly failed” to meet its fair housing obligations throughout the period from 2000 to 2006.

Rather than reform its practices after the judge first found in July 2007 that accepting Westchester’s approach would lead to “absurd” results, the County persisted in its intransigence.  It is that refusal to comply with applicable law and regulation that should be raising questions among not-for-profit organizations and others who have been hurt by Westchester’s misconduct.

As the Center has said for close to two years now, we believe that it is in everyone’s interest to resolve the matter in a way that reduces segregation and increases affordable housing opportunity throughout the County. 

HUD’s response to Westchester’s inadequate 2009 submissions is a very encouraging sign that the Obama Administration fully expects recipients of federal grant funds to meet the fair housing obligations that are a basic condition of receiving any of those funds.

Where is Westchester’s 2009 analysis of impediments to fair housing choice?