A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a temporary order stopping the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from canceling fair housing grants.
That means funding will be restored to all affected programs, including Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio's housing enforcement services for people facing discrimination.
"So, this means that we should be able to continue to provide fair housing services under the grant for the foreseeable future," said Melissa Benson, senior managing attorney of the housing team in the Columbus office of Legal Aid.
On Feb. 27, HUD canceled 78 Fair Housing Initiative Program (FHIP) grants, affecting programs in 33 states, according to the National Fair Housing Alliance.
The letter announcing the cuts said they were directed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The letter also states that HUD canceled the award because it “no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.”
The National Fair Housing Alliance and three other organizations, including Cleveland-based Fair Housing Center for Rights and Research, filed a civil lawsuit in a Massachusetts federal court to challenge the cuts.
Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio wasn't a plaintiff in the original suit, but stood to lose $425,000 in annual funds from the grant freezes. Legal Aid uses that money to help people facing housing discrimination in 36 Ohio counties.
Benson said housing discrimination can be based on race, disability, gender, national origin, whether they have children or a number of other reasons.
"We did not pause any of our services because we had hoped that something like this was going to be happening. We knew that there would be attempts to restore the funding," Benson said. "And in the short term, we were able to continue that work."
The temporary restraining order from judge Richard G. Stearns not only reinstates the grants, but prevents HUD from canceling them again. HUD can still cancel funding if a grantee is not fulfilling the requirements of that particular grant.
The temporary restraining order is good for 14 days. The next step will be a hearing for a permanent injunction, which Benson expects will be scheduled in the coming weeks.
If the lawsuit gains class action status, Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio could become part of the suit, because they were one of the organizations whose funding was initially cut.
