As a result of a recent lawsuit settlement with Fannie Mae, the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan received funds to invest in the areas of Muskegon and Muskegon Heights most affected by home mortgage foreclosures. The lawsuit alleged that, after the foreclosure crisis, Fannie Mae did not market or maintain the homes it owned through foreclosure in neighborhoods of color as well as it marketed and maintained its homes in predominantly White neighborhoods.
The settlement funds must be used to address the harm caused by the failure to maintain and market the homes in neighborhoods of color. Potential uses of the funds in the impacted neighborhoods could include, for example, programs to brush up the condition of homes, expand and improve green space, help with a down payment to buy a house, create new housing, or other neighborhood improvements.
Please complete this survey to tell us about how the settlement dollars might be used to make a difference for you and your neighborhood. The Fair Housing Center will consider your responses as it plans for potential programs to invest the settlement funds into the impacted neighborhoods. Those needs and priorities that exceed the scope of settlement investments will be passed along to your city officials.
Original source can be found here.
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