Fair Housing Initiatives Program - Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI)

Congress amended the Fair Housing Act in 1988 to establish the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) with a purpose of providing funding to entities to work alongside HUD to "prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices" 42 USC § 3616a(a). FHIP provides funds to eligible organizations through competitive grants under three initiatives: the Fair Housing Organization Initiative (FHOI), the Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI), and the Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI).The purpose of the Private Enforcement Initiative is to provide multi-year grants to a nation-wide network of eligible fair housing enforcement organizations to conduct testing, investigate violations, and enforce the Fair Housing Act and equivalent State and local laws that provide rights and remedies for alleged discriminatory housing practices.