Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) - Tester Training

The Fair Housing Initiatives Program is a significant source of funding for FHIP grantees that conduct fair housing testing in local communities across the country. Fair housing testing refers to the use of testers who, without any bona fide intent to rent or purchase property, pose as prospective renters or buyers of real estate for the purpose of determining whether housing providers and others are complying with the federal Fair Housing Act. The Department continues to be vigilant about ensuring that testing performed by testers with FHIP funds adhere to HUD’s investigatory standards so that the testing yields credible, objective and admissible evidence to aid in the enforcement of the federal Fair Housing Act. The Department acknowledges that great variation exists in the quality of fair housing testing performed by FHIP grantees. Some grantees have consistently demonstrated that testing produces strong evidence that can be used to forge effective legal challenges to discriminatory housing practices. Still some grantees exhibit lesser capabilities and uneven or less accomplished tracs. HUD recognizes the need to improve and standardized the quality of testing provided by testers employed by FHIP grantees. In response, HUD’s FHIP FY 2020 Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) NOFA to that provides consistent training in the areas of testing. The Department is also aware that testers may specialized in specific areas of testing, and that testers will need more than the general tester training to provide high quality services. Therefore, the NOFA will also support specialized training courses for testers in the areas of lending and insurance. In summary, this NOFA provides notice of a FHIP EOI Tester Training component that supports the provision of both general tester training and training in the areas of lending and insurance to help meet the needs and requirements of the FHIP program.