North Dakota’s Only Fair-Housing Center Is Two Months Without Federal Funds
The High Plains Fair Housing Center, the only fair-housing organization in North Dakota, will furlough four of its eight employees on July 31 if a delayed federal grant does not arrive. The Grand Forks-based center has gone without its expected funding since May 2026, and no one has told them when it will come.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the center a three-year Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) grant in 2023. HUD released the first two installments. The second ended in May 2026. The center expected the third-year installment to begin the next day, but two months later, the $425,000 has not arrived.
“We have no idea if it will be tomorrow or if it will be in a year or more.”
Michelle Rydz, Executive Director, High Plains Fair Housing Center, July 24, 2026
HUD did not respond to a request for comment from the North Dakota Monitor.
Housing Discrimination Complaints Do Not Stop When Funding Stops
The center investigates and resolves housing discrimination complaints under the federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibits differential treatment based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, and disability. It also helps residents secure disability accommodations such as adjusted parking, modified rent due dates, and physical building changes.
The center launched in 2016 and currently employs one part-time and seven full-time staff. If the furloughs proceed, associate director Nicki Green estimates the center could sustain reduced services for roughly a year before approaching near-total shutdown.
Rydz is direct about what that means for North Dakotans. “These problems don’t stop because the funding stops,” she said. Fewer staff means fewer people learning their civil rights exist, and fewer discrimination cases investigated or resolved.
North Dakota’s Congressional Delegation Has Inquired, But No Release Date Exists
Both Sen. John Hoeven and Rep. Julie Fedorchak, Republicans representing North Dakota, have contacted HUD about the grant’s status. Fedorchak’s office also reached the White House. Hoeven’s office said HUD committed to providing an update, but no timeline has been given.
The grant was awarded. The work is ongoing. The delay is a federal administrative choice, not a funding cut enacted by Congress, which means pressure on HUD and the congressional delegation can still move it.
What You Can Do Now
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Call Sen. John Hoeven’s office at (202) 224-2551 and tell them HUD must release the third-year FHIP grant to the High Plains Fair Housing Center immediately. Hoeven’s office is already in contact with HUD; constituent calls increase pressure for a firm release date before the July 31 furlough deadline.
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Call Sen. Kevin Cramer’s office at (202) 224-2043 and make the same ask. Cramer has not yet publicly engaged on this issue. Tell his staff that North Dakota’s only fair-housing organization will begin furloughs at the end of July without this grant.
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Call Rep. Julie Fedorchak’s office at (202) 225-2611 and urge her to follow up directly with HUD Secretary Scott Turner for a confirmed grant release date, not just a vague commitment to provide an update.
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Submit a public comment to HUD at regulations.gov using “Fair Housing Initiatives Program” as your search term. Tell HUD that delayed FHIP disbursements are forcing furloughs at state-level fair housing organizations and demand a release timeline.