Fair Housing Month: Abilene takes a stand against discrimination
ABILENE, Texas () – April is National Fair Housing Month, a month dedicated to raising awareness of housing rights and ending discrimination. Now, Abilene is joining the effort by officially proclaiming April as Fair Housing Month in the city.
This year marks the 57th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, a law that established a national policy against housing discrimination. On April 1, Abilene Mayor Weldon Hurt issued a proclamation recognizing Fair Housing Month in the city.
Trump administration looks to slash HUD workers tackling the housing crisis
'As mayor and on behalf of the city council, I extend my sincere appreciation to the Abilene Association of Realtors for their unwavering commitment to fair housing,' Hurt said. 'The citizens of Abilene proudly proclaim April 2025 as Fair Housing Month.'
Hurt also emphasized the Abilene Association of Realtors' dedication to promoting the Fair Housing Act by addressing discrimination, supporting educational programs, and advocating for equal housing opportunities.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Arkansans getting government assistance ask senators to vote down ‘Big Beautiful Bill'
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansans receiving government assistance are asking Arkansas senators in Washington to vote against President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act.' Chanting 'The big ugly bill will kill,' about a dozen people spoke out against changes to Medicaid, SNAP, and HUD Housing in the 1,000-page bill while arguing that health, food and housing are human rights. Big, beautiful bill heads to the Senate Norma Huffman is a member of Arkansas Community Organizations, the group that organized a visit to the Washington D.C. and Little Rock offices of Senators Cotton and Boozman on Wednesday. 'We are here to try to convince the head honcho of this office to vote no,' Huffman stated. Huffman is a single parent and says she is permanently disabled. She is on Medicaid, SNAP, and housing assistance for her needs, and she fears what the future will hold if Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' becomes law. 'We have to fight for ourselves because we know for a fact nobody else is going to,' Huffman argued. The act proposes substantial cuts, restrictions, and added requirements for Medicaid and SNAP, shifting more costs to states, limiting eligibility, and repealing support programs. For HUD, the bill removes funding for cost-cutting green retrofitting. Hattie Temple says any change could be a triple blow to her and hundreds of thousands more. 'It makes our deficit higher. It doesn't make any sense. Everything that he (Trump) cuts is to keep the folks down that are already down,' Temple stated. Trump 'disappointed' by Musk criticism of 'big, beautiful bill' Senator John Boozman provided this statement when asked about the visit: 'Work requirements for able-bodied adults are a fair and effective way to ensure SNAP and Medicaid benefits are directed to those who truly need them. By implementing commonsense policies, we can strengthen the programs while eliminating waste, reducing federal spending and promoting accountability.' -Senator John Boozman At the time of this report, Senator Cotton's office has not replied to requests for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Josh Kraft calls out ‘heartbreaking' conditions at Boston Housing Authority
Mayoral candidate Josh Kraft criticized the Boston Housing Authority's handling of maintenance issues at its public housing properties during a press conference Wednesday. Kraft called out a February report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in which inspectors found numerous issues throughout Housing Authority properties. During an appearance at the Authority's Mildred C. Hailey development in Jamaica Plain Wednesday morning, Kraft, the former head of the Boys and Girls Club of Boston and the son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, called the report 'heartbreaking.' 'What is safe or healthy about broken or missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors? About electrical hazards or blocked exits?' he said. 'What is dignified about seniors and disabled residents having to climb seven flights of stairs because the elevators in their building do not work?' HUD auditors inspected a sample of 36 units across the BHA system and found 113 'deficiencies,' of which 37 had been present at the time of HUD's last inspection and 18 were categorized as 'life-threatening.' In addition, a survey of 24 BHA buildings found 105 deficiencies in common areas, exteriors, mechanical systems and sites, of which 18 had been present at the last inspection and 31 were life-threatening. Read more: Boston mayor, challenger clash over affordable housing policies The report also found that the BHA had largely failed to respond to maintenance issues in a timely manner, due in large part to a lack of staffing and of oversight of its own inspections, along with a backlog of work orders. In a written response to HUD's findings included in the report, BHA Administrator Kenzie Bok acknowledged that 'there are opportunities for operational improvements and additional quality control' and said the Authority was already working to establish new protocols to address those improvements. Bok explained that because HUD relaxed its inspection requirements for public housing authorities in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when the BHA resumed inspections, it had a major backlog of both work orders and outstanding unit inspections to address. At the same time, according to the report, staffing shortages and COVID infections meant the Authority did not have the resources available to conduct inspections and repairs. Although the agency hired a contractor to help with the inspections, the contractor also experienced delays due to COVID infections among its staff and ultimately withdrew from the contract. On Wednesday, Kraft said he thinks Mayor Michelle Wu cares about issues at BHA housing, but said he questioned if she had the 'management skills' to fix them. 'I've seen up close what housing instability does to a family. You're living in a suitcase. Kids get pulled out of schools,' he said. 'It's not only undignified, it's heartbreaking, and it should never be allowed to happen in a city like Boston.' Multiple BHA properties are currently undergoing significant redevelopment or modernization projects, including its two largest properties, the Mary Ellen McCormack and Charlestown developments. Like other public housing authorities, the BHA gets a significant amount of funds from the federal government. However, as the Trump administration slashes funding across the country, public housing has experienced reductions. Last month, the BHA began sending out letters to landlords of tenants with Section 8 housing vouchers — which are administered by the housing authority — asking them not to raise rents for the next year, citing cuts to the housing assistance program, according to the Boston Globe. Read more: Mass. rental voucher program falls short for many low-income tenants On Wednesday, Kraft acknowledged that the BHA has limited funds to cover the extensive upgrades its properties need. However, he said the city should better prioritize its own money to cover some of those costs, giving the multimillion dollar White Stadium redevelopment as an example of something that Boston is putting too many resources toward. 'There are definitely some places we would need to look and look hard and find savings,' he said. 'But I do know this: I managed multimillion dollar budgets as CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, and when pressed, you can always find savings.' In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the mayor's office directed MassLive to Wu's campaign team, who did not immediately respond Wednesday afternoon. Super PAC coordination allegations heat up Boston's mayoral showdown Out-of-town money floods Boston mayor's race Yes, immigration is a flash point in Boston's mayoral race. A debate confirmed it | Bay State Briefing Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Anti-ICE riots force HUD offices to close weeks after 'Squad' Dem, Maxine Waters said Trump would close them
Three Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) field offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City have temporarily closed their doors in the face of violence stemming from anti-ICE riots and protests, HUD confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday. The temporary closures due to the violence come just weeks after Democrats such as California Rep. Maxine Waters and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib claimed HUD field offices would permanently close due to Department of Government Efficiency efforts, with Waters saying such closures would affect "families and communities across the country who rely on HUD for housing assistance, community and economic development projects." HUD Secretary Scott Turner exclusively told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that liberals' claims in recent weeks that HUD would shutter field offices were "fake news" while lambasting Democrats for "encouraging riots" that have caused the three offices to temporarily shutter. "The left and legacy media spread fake news over false reports that HUD is closing field offices," Turner told Fox News Digital Tuesday. "Now they're encouraging riots that have actually forced at least three field offices to temporarily close." 'Delusional' Hillary Clinton Savagely Mocked For La Riots Response: 'Only Leftists Disable Comments' "Democrat-run blue states like California are suffering from failed leadership, resulting in record homelessness, unchecked illegal alien crime and, as we're seeing now on full display, pandemonium, chaos and destruction," he added. "The American people deserve better. HUD will continue to serve communities in the face of this reckless violence while prioritizing safety and security." Read On The Fox News App Sen Kennedy Tells Democrats To 'Pop A Zoloft' Over Trump's Handling Of Los Angeles Anti-ice Riots Now, three field offices are temporarily closed as riots and protests spiral in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City. Los Angeles has seen widespread riots since Friday, when federal law enforcement officials converged on the city to conduct immigration raids as part of President Donald Trump's campaign vow to deport the millions of illegal immigrants who crossed the border under the Biden administration. Other anti-ICE protests have broken out in New York City and San Francisco since the L.A. riots began, which have led to dozens of arrests. Fox News Digital obtained more than a dozen images showing graffiti strewn across a federal building in downtown L.A., which is home to a HUD field office. HUD's satellite office is located just blocks from City Hall, where some of the violent riots have unfolded. Media outlets earlier in 2025 ran headlines that the Trump administration had plans to shutter dozens of HUD field offices across the country, which was reported as a potential violation of federal law as HUD must be represented in each state. Turner said on X on Tuesday that his department "hasn't closed a single field office." Waters led a group of Democrat lawmakers and anti-DOGE protesters in March in an attempt to enter HUD headquarters and hand-deliver a protest letter to Turner that demanded "answers on efforts to decimate federal housing programs." National Guard To Be Deployed In Los Angeles County As Anti-ice Protests Rage: Border Czar Tom Homan Waters, and a handful of other House Democrats, were permitted to enter HUD headquarters, while the California Democrat warned they would "stay all night" until they met with Turner, Breitbart News exclusively reported in March. HUD staffers informed the group they would deliver the letter to Turner, while Waters protested for a meeting with the HUD secretary. Tlaib also attempted to take part in the gaggle of lawmakers demanding to meet with Turner, but was seen stopped at HUD's entrance in video footage. Tlaib was heard shouting,"You don't give a sh--!" at HUD employees as the group of lawmakers and DOGE protesters ultimately left the building without meeting with Turner. A month after the HUD trip, Waters sent a letter in April to the Government Accountability Office's comptroller and HUD's acting inspector general calling for an investigation into allegations "the Administration plans to shut down local field offices and terminate housing agency staff." "I am concerned about what effects this will have on families and communities across the country who rely on HUD for housing assistance, community and economic development projects, as well as enforcement of federal fair housing and civil rights laws," Waters wrote in the letter. Sen Cory Booker Calls Los Angeles Riots 'Peaceful,' Slams Trump For Deploying National Guard "Employees across approximately 54 field offices have localized expertise and work in communities to carry out face-to-face technical assistance, provide timely guidance to local grantees and officials to help speed up project timelines, and manage oversight and enforcement of federal statutes in each region," she continued. "The Trump Administration's proposal to close 34 field offices would severely disrupt federal housing programs, stall local development projects, and threaten the jobs of approximately 360 full-time employees." Fox News Digital reached out to Waters' and Tlaib's respective offices inquiring whether they are still concerned about HUD office closures due to violence in the left-wing cities, but did not immediately receive responses. Riots broke out in L.A. on Friday evening after federal law enforcement officials converged on the city to carry out immigration raids. Local leaders such as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom quickly denounced the raids in public statements while offering words of support for illegal immigrants in the state. Protests over the raids soon devolved into violence as rioters targeted federal law enforcement officials, including launching rocks at officials, with videos showing people looting local stores, setting cars on fire and taking over a freeway. Trump announced on Saturday that he was deploying 2,000 National Guard members to help quell the violence, and the administration deployed hundreds of Marines to respond to anti-immigration chaos on Monday evening as the violence continued. "If I didn't 'SEND IN THE TROOPS' to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now," Trump posted to Truth Social on Tuesday article source: Anti-ICE riots force HUD offices to close weeks after 'Squad' Dem, Maxine Waters said Trump would close them
