The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has terminated St. Paul’s participation in the Fair Housing Assistance Program, a federal program that provides funds to local government agencies that enforce fair housing laws.
In a letter to the city, HUD said its decision was because St. Paul’s Department of Human Rights & Equal Economic Opportunity (HREEO) failed to notify HUD about changes to state and local laws that govern fair housing.
Under federal law, local government agencies can participate in the Fair Housing Assistance Program and receive federal funds for the purpose of enforcing fair housing laws.
However, participation in the program requires local agencies to maintain housing laws that are “substantially equivalent” to the Fair Housing Act, a federal law that bans discrimination in housing based on race, sex, religion, and other categories.
According to HUD, the HREEO’s certification to participate in the Fair Housing Assistance Program was renewed in November of 2024, but the HREEO did not tell HUD about changes to St. Paul’s human rights ordinance and state law that occurred in the prior two years
HUD told Alpha News that the city’s human rights ordinance was altered to add “sexual or affectional orientation” and “status with regard to public assistance” as protected statuses. HUD said those categories are not covered by the Fair Housing Act.
Because of the alleged failure to disclose those changes, HUD said the federal government did not have the opportunity to conduct a “substantial equivalence review.” That review would have determined whether the HREEO was in alignment with federal law.
“Because HREEO failed to notify the Department when the human rights ordinance was changed — violating both the terms of [a memorandum of understanding] and failing to meet its obligations under [federal regulations] — we are not renewing certification and withdrawing HREEO from [the Fair Housing Assistance Program],” HUD wrote.
“The Department’s decision not to renew certification and to terminate HREEO from [the Fair Housing Assistance Program] is supported by HREEO’s repeated failures to notify the Department of changes to its applicable ordinance and staffing changes and to follow the 2025 funding guidance concerning the filing of unique cases, as well as its prior well-documented substandard performance,” continued the letter.
In its letter, HUD said “this decision is effective immediately.”
Alpha News contacted the HREEO for this story but did not hear back.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
