Supplementary Information Furnished by the Housing and Home Finance Agency and Its Constituent Agencies in Response to Requests by the Staff of the Commission on Civil Rights Part I. OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR What is the history of HHFA's racial policies and programs since its establishment of 1947? How has the staff been set up to handle these policies and programs? What variations, if any, have there been in these programs, their operations, their staffing, etc.? Give number of employees handling program by year Since the establishment of the Housing and Home Finance Agency in 1947, as well as in its forerunner agencies, the Agency has had on its staff top advisers on intergroup-relations problems. In the historical development of the intergroup-relations function in the Agency, there have been normal administrative changes from time to time. The use of such specialists, however, has been continuous. Both in the Office of the Administrator and the major constituents of the Agency, intergrouprelations staffs give specialized assistance in carrying out Agency policy to assue equitable participation by minorities in the Agency's programs and operations. A current effort is to intensify and further emphasize the importance of bringing into efforts toward this objective, understanding and affirmative participation of the entire personnel at all stages of policy development and operations-so that each employee discharges his responsibility in his normal day-to-day operations. The intergroup-relations specialists will be fully used to help accomplish this goal. In terms of organizational structure, an assistant to the Administrator is responsible for the coordination of racial considerations in assisting the Administrator with his overall supervision and coordination of programs operated by the Agency. He advises the Administrator on intergroup considerations in the development and execution of the Agency's policies and programs; maintains liaison with organizations and leadership interested in the minoritygroup aspects of Agency activities; and functions in close coordination with the intergroup-relations staffs of the constituents of the Agency. As indicated in the Administrator's statement to the Commission, plans are being drawn to strengthen this function in the Office of the Administrator. The Federal Housing Administration, Public Housing Administration, and Urban Renewal Administration each has on its central office staff an intergrouprelations adviser to advise the Commissioners and other top staff in the central offices of those constituents on problems affecting minority groups; and to provide technical advice and assistance to staff in the field offices. In FHA, 10 zone intergroup-relations advisers are stationed in the field to serve the 6 FHA zones, and in PHA there is an intergroup-relations adviser in each of 6 field offices. Field operations for the Urban Renewal Administration and community Facilities Administration programs are carried out in 7 HHFA regional offices (53) headed by regional administrators reporting to the Administrator. Each of these offices has on its staff a relocation adviser who is responsible for advising and assisting local public agencies in the development and execution of plans concerned with the relocation of families displaced from urban renewal areas. Since a substantial portion of these families are members of minority groups, the relocation advisers are constantly concerned with the minority-group aspects of relocation. In addition, the HHFA regional offices call upon the intergrouprelations advisers in the central offices of the Office of the Administrator and the Urban Renewal Administration for assistance on problems and policies relating to minority-group aspects of program administration; and they are instructed also to utilize the services of FHA and PHA field intergroup-relations officers on any problems in which these specialists can assist. A copy of the pertinent instruction-currently in process of updating-is Attachment 1. As of December 31, 1958, there were in the Agency 33 specialized intergrouprelations personnel. Of this total, 19 are professional and 14 clerical, with 4 employed in the Office of the Administrator and the Urban Renewal Administration, 14 in the Federal Housing Administration, and 15 in the Public Housing Administration. A table showing employment in this activity for the years in which data is available starting with the year 1949, is Attachment 2. To provide historical perspective on the development of the intergroup-relations function in the Agency, see Attachment 3 which is a copy of an article entitled "Special Problems and Approaches in Housing of Minorities." This article is an excerpt from the Sixth Annual Report of the Housing and Home Finance Agency, 1952. Attachment 1 HOUSING AND HOME FINANCE AGENCY OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR Washington, D.C. Regional Representative Letter No. 70-General-March 10, 1952 Subject: FHA and PHA racial-relations advisers. 1. The purpose of this letter is to set forth instructions to regional representatives for obtaining the benefit of consultation and assistance by FHA and PHA racial-relations advisers in connection with defense housing or other matters involving minority groups. 2. The Administrator maintains an OA racial-relations staff at central Office to advise and assist him on minority-group considerations in all HHFA programs. While the services of this staff are available to regional representatives, it is not possible at this time to station advisers on minority-group matters in the OA regional offices. However, the OA racial-relations staff works closely with the staffs of the constituent agencies and these staffs provide coverage insofar as the HHFA field responsibilities are concerned. The Federal Housing Administration is concerned with matters relating to private housing available to minorities and nas a direct responsibility in the programing and administration of private defense housing under delegation from the Administrator. The Public Housing Administration is similarily concerned with racial considerations in the field of public housing and has a particular responsibility at the present time in connection with public defense housing. The field problems of the entire Agency, of course, tend to focus in situations requiring broad, concerted action—such as the problems involved in slum clearance and urban redevelopment programs and in defense housing. 3. In the field, FHA racial-relations advisers are assigned on a zone basis. In the PHA field organization racial-relations officers are stationed in each field of fice. In matters involving private housing where special assistance on minoritygroup problems is advisable, the regional representative will communicate with the FHA director having jurisdiction where the problem exists and ask for the benefit of any assistance the FHA director may be able to render. In the event that the FHA director concurs in the need for obtaining the services of the racialrelations adviser, the FHA director will make arrangements therefor. In matters involving public housing the regional representative will address a similar request to the PHA field-office director having jurisdiction. In some cases it may be advisable to request that arrangements be made for the adviser to attend meetings. In other cases it will suffice to obtain the recommendations of the PHA or FHA directors following their consideration of the findings of the racial advisers. Attachment 2 Housing and Home Finance Agency, specialized intergroup relations personnel,' actual employment Does not include technical and operating staff who may devote a substantial part of their time to activities involving intergroup relations but do not spend fulltime in specialized intergroup-relations work. Not available. Breakdown between departmental and field not available for this period. 4 Includes 1 professional and 1 clerical in URA. |