WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced that it has entered into a voluntary compliance agreement/conciliation agreement (the Agreement) to resolve allegations that Harris County, Texas (the County) discriminated on the basis of race and national origin in the design and operation of its Post Disaster Relocation and Buyout Program. A Harris County resident who filed a complaint in this case is also a party to the Agreement. Read the Agreement here.

The agreement resolves the complaint filed against the county under the Fair Housing Act (the Act), Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. The complaint alleged that the county implemented a mandatory buyout program in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods while offering voluntary buyouts and other hazard mitigation alternatives in predominantly white neighborhoods with comparable flood risk.

“Buyout programs are important tools to help families relocate from disaster-prone areas, but they must not be used in a discriminatory manner that adversely affects vulnerable communities of color,” said Diane M. Shelley, Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at HUD“HUD remains committed to equitable disaster response and resilience and will ensure that disaster relief funds provided by HUD are managed consistently with applicable civil rights laws.”

The agreement requires the county to provide the remaining acquisition targets of its current mandatory severance program with a “notice of rights,” including the right to appeal the county’s severance of their home. The notice also informs acquisition targets of their right to file a discrimination complaint with HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. This notice is provided in both Spanish and English. The agreement also requires the county to submit any future proposal to use HUD disaster relief funds for mandatory severance to HUD for review and approval. As part of its submission to HUD, the county must provide a discussion of the steps it will take to ensure that the proposed severance program does not result in discrimination. Finally, the agreement records a settlement between the county and the complainant in which the county agreed to limited land expropriation in the most flood-prone area rather than taking the complainant’s entire property.

The County denies the allegations of discrimination, and HUD has made no findings of discrimination under the Act, Title VI, or Section 109. The County entered into the Agreement solely to satisfactorily resolve the dispute, and the Agreement does not constitute an admission by Harris County or evidence of a final determination by HUD.

Individuals who believe they are victims of housing discrimination should contact HUD at (800) 9669-9777 (phone) or (800) 927-9275 (TTY). For more information, visit hud.gov/fairhousing.