Westchester May Have Received Federal Funds Without Addressing Racial Discrimination

The Anti-Discrimination Center of Metro New York sued Westchester County, claiming that the county received more than $45 million in federal funds by falsely certifying that it would "affirmatively further fair housing" by identifying and then taking steps to overcome "impediments" to fair housing choice. The Center claimed that the county failed to monitor activities of individual municipalities to determine whether they were complying with federal requirements to further fair housing. The county claimed that it wasn't required by the certifications to consider race an impediment to fair housing choice and asked the court to dismiss the case without a trial. The court ruled against the county. The federal grants are to be administered under both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act. Both laws are intended to fight racial discrimination. The court said it would be improper for the county to look only at income, as claimed by the Anti-Discrimination Center.

United States of America ex rel. Anti-Discrimination Center of Metro New York, Inc. v. Westchester County, New York: ___ F.Supp.2d ___, 2007 WL 2402997 (S.D.N.Y. 8/22/07; Cote, J)