Pinellas County Office Of Human Rights Receives Grant For COVID-19 Outreach

Press release from the Pinellas County Government:

May 26, 2020

Pinellas County’s Office of Human Rights has received a $50,000 grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to partner with the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies (IAOHRA) in conducting a nationwide webinar on fair housing issues related to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The webinar, made possible by funding within the federal CARES Act 2020, will include sessions on: Unique fair housing issues presented by COVID-19; Best civil rights agency practices in a time of pandemic, including effective strategies for conducting remote investigations and mediations, and keeping staff working remotely motivated; and Pandemic and fair housing issues bearing on gender and race.

“We are excited to partner with an organization as prestigious as IAOHRA, and we thank HUD for awarding us this grant to share with civil rights agencies, fair housing and legal aid organizations, and interested community partners across Pinellas County and the United States, free of charge, important information and best practices on fair housing related issues during a pandemic,” said Paul Valenti, Director of Pinellas County’s Office of Human Rights.

Pinellas County’s Office of Human Rights enforces Pinellas County’s civil rights and wage theft ordinances. Residents interested in more information about the Office may visit www.pinellascounty.org/humanrights.

Founded in 1949, IAOHRA is an organization of over sixty-five (65) human rights agencies of state and local government across twenty-nine (29) states, territories, and the District of Columbia. Interested parties may find more information about IAOHRA by visiting www.iaohra.org.

This press release was produced by the Pinellas County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.