Funding: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

In July 1999, officials from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund (LCCREF) and the National Fair Housing Alliance received a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop and implement a nationwide "community tension reduction program." LCCREF was charged with administering the grant with the National Fair Housing Alliance as its major subcontractor. Working together, they developed the CommUNITY 2000 concept, with a strong emphasis on building coalitions and relationships at every level — national, regional and grassroots.

"We felt it was not enough to stress enforcement of the law," said Karen McGill Lawson, LCCREF's executive director. "We wanted to find out what the community can do to prevent tensions when newcomers come into the neighborhood, what it can do to proactively welcome newcomers, and when problems occur what should the response be?"

Phase I of CommUNITY 2000, which is detailed in this report, took place from July 1999 to December 2001. The partners involved in the first phase of the CommUNITY 2000 coalition were as follows:

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, a private non-profit organization dedicated to civil rights education and research. It strives to convey to the American public the progress made in civil rights, the continuing challenges and the strength that comes from being a diverse nation. LCCREF received slightly less than $650,000 of the $1.5 million grant.
The National Fair Housing Alliance, a consortium of more than 80 private non-profit fair hous ing organizations across the United States. It has been promoting equal housing, lending and insurance opportunities through education, enforcement, training and research since 1988. The National Fair Housing Alliance received slightly more than $200,000.
The National Advisory Board, an amalgam of 20 distinguished and diverse national experts in inter-group relations, hate crimes prevention, law enforcement, conflict resolution, civil rights, academia and media. It was formed specifically to offer advice and guidance to CommUNITY 2000's other national and local partners.
The Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston, founded in 1998, promotes equal housing opportunities for all people throughout the greater Boston area. The Center effectively operates by building relationships with and providing services to established organizations. The Fair Housing Center received slightly less than $300,000.
The Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities, in Chicago, has been a driving force in the fight for fair housing for more than 30 years. It has nationally recognized experi ence in implementing fair housing and affirmative action mobility programs. The Leadership Council received slightly more than $170,000.
Access Living of Chicago is one of the oldest and largest independent living centers for people with disabilities in the country. The center focuses on community outreach and education, advocacy, community organizing and civil rights. The majority of the staff is disabled. Access Living received slightly more than $160,000.
The Fair Housing Council of San Diego was established in 1989. The Council has developed comprehensive fair housing enforcement programs and provided technical assistance to housing industry professionals. It also offers public outreach and educational services. The San Diego Council received about $20,000.