FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

The Legal Aid Society of Hawaii`i Fair Housing Education and Outreach Project will be conducting a Fair Housing Law Training on Thursday, February 12th and Friday, February 13th at the Neal Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The training is offered at no charge for Housing and Social Service Providers. FHEP is the recipient of a one-year grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Housing Initiatives Program. This grant, which aims to provide an intensive Fair Housing education and outreach effort in Hawaii, was the first of it's kind to be awarded to a Hawaii public interest agency.

Sister trainings, tailored to Housing Providers, will be held on Thursday, February 12th. The second training, tailored to Social Service Providers, will be held on Friday, February 13th. The educational event will be tailored to meet both the legal and educational needs of service and housing providers. The training will give participants a clear understanding of Fair Housing Laws and Housing Discrimination. Benefits to participants include recognizing a Fair Housing violation, how to minimize liability for fair housing violations, and how to ensure equal housing opportunity for all.

"Housing Discrimination is much more prevalent in Hawaii than people like to believe," says Nalani Fujimori, Fair Housing Education and Outreach Director and Managing Attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii Maui County offices. "Housing discrimination is a terribly under-reported problem and this means that equal housing opportunity is denied to many individuals and families who need to have a stable and safe place to live. It is a major goal of FHEO to build a coalition of service and housing providers who will strive to uphold Fair Housing Laws and to end housing discrimination."

Legal Aid's Fair Housing Education and Outreach Project also aims to engage the community in learning about fair housing rights and responsibilities and to raise awareness on Housing Discrimination. Staff members will give tailored presentations to community groups, government agencies, faith-based organizations and other groups interested in learning more about their rights. The Education and Outreach Project offers workshops free of charge. For more information on how to register for the Housing and Social Service Provider trainings or to schedule a free workshop contact the Fair Housing Outreach Coordinator at 527-8052 or jedelac@lashaw.org.

Contact:     Jessica DelaCruz
Phone:       (808) 527-8052
E-mail:       jedelac@lashaw.org