Senate leaders must break the gridlock that has prevented a key housing market watchdog from taking office for more than six months, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition and 62 community groups wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in a letter Thursday.
“The delayed confirmation of David Uejio means one of our nation’s key civil rights roles is still empty – impeding HUD’s ability to protect people from discrimination and enact needed internal reforms,” National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) Senior Director of Policy Megan Haberle said. “By denying the agency a formal leader in that crucial aspect of its mission, lawmakers are allowing partisanship to undermine the rule of law.”
The Senate has failed to act on Uejio’s nomination to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) since last summer. That failure, the groups wrote, leaves vacant an office that “is instrumental in protecting individuals and communities across the country from housing discrimination.” FHEO “must be adequately staffed, resourced, and empowered so as to fulfill HUD’s mission of providing for fair housing,” the groups wrote, and “[w]e ask that the Senate take action to confirm him expeditiously, so that he can advance FHEO’s important work.”
More information on Uejio’s crucial role and strong record can be found here.
The full text of the letter sent by NCRC and 62 community groups can be found here. The letter was signed by:
National Community Reinvestment Coalition
727 Mgt LLC
Affordable Homeownership Foundation, Inc.
AIDS Alabama
Americans for Financial Reform
Black Women’s Wealth Alliance
BSI/AfDiDi
Builders of Hope CDC
California Coalition for Rural Housing
Ceiba
Center for Disability Rights
Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement & Research (CLEAR)
Center for Responsible Lending
Centre for Homeownership & Economic Development Corporation
Clarifi
Communities First, Inc.
Community Growth Fund
Community Link
Community Outreach Training Center Inc
CommunityWorks in West Virginia
Consumer Action
Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council, Inc.
Devotion USA, Inc.
Equality California
Fair Finance Watch
Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana, Inc.
Georgia Advancing Communities Together, Inc.
Goldenrule Housing & Community Development Corp
Henderson and Company
Homeownership Council of America
Homes on the Hill, CDC
Housing on Merit
Housing Oregon
Jane Place Neighborhood Sustainability Initiative
JOVIS
Liberation in a Generation
Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition
National CAPACD
National Fair Housing Alliance
National Housing Law Project
National Housing Resource Center
Neighborhood Improvement Association
Northwest Indiana Reinvestment Alliance
Olive Hill Community Economic Development Corporation, Inc
People’s Opportunity Fund
Piedmont Housing Alliance
Pima County Community Land Trust
Prosper Waco
Prosperity Now
Real Estate Education And Community Housing Inc
REBOUND, Inc.
Revolving Door Project
Silver State Equality-Nevada
South Dallas Fair Park ICDC
Southern Dallas Progress Community Development Corporation
TCH Development, Inc
The Cherry Community Organization
Town of Apex
United Housing, Inc.
Urban Land Conservancy
WITH ACTION
Woodstock Institute
Working In Neighborhoods
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The National Community Reinvestment Coalition and its grassroots member organizations create opportunities for people to build wealth. We work with community leaders, policymakers and financial institutions to champion fairness in banking, housing and business. For more, visit NCRC.org
