BE IT RESOLVED, that Agreement PR00000781 with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid to conduct Fair Housing Testing for suburban Hennepin County, during the period August 14, 2019 through July 31, 2020, with the not to exceed amount of $40,000, be approved; that the Chair of the Board be authorized to sign the agreement on behalf to the county; and that the Controller be authorized to disburse funds as directed.  

History: Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability.

Hennepin County and partnering suburban communities in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) federal entitlement programs (Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)) are required to affirmatively further fair housing in their communities.

In partnership with the cities of Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, New Hope, Plymouth, Richfield, and St. Louis Park, the county proposes to contract with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid to conduct Fair Housing paired tests on multifamily rental housing units. Fair Housing paired tests assess discrimination by having two testers assume the role of housing applicants with equivalent social and economic characteristics who differ only in terms of the characteristic being tested for discrimination, such as race, disability status, or marital status.

Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid is the only HUD-qualified Fair Housing Enforcement Organization conducting Fair Housing Testing within the state of Minnesota. Hennepin County contracted with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid for similar services in 2013 (Resolution 13-0405).

Board approval of this agreement is requested because there are other county contracts with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid that cumulatively exceed $50,000.

Current Request: This request is for the approval of Agreement PR00000781 with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid to conduct Fair Housing paired testing within suburban Hennepin County for the period August 14, 2019 through July 31, 2020, with a not to exceed amount of $40,000. 

Impact/Outcomes: The funding under this agreement will allow for approximately 60 paired tests of properties within suburban Hennepin County.