Funding gap resolved for the only fair housing organization in the Dakotas

A long-awaited federal grant has come through for the only fair housing organization in the Dakotas, resolving a monthslong funding gap that led the group to furlough half of its staff.

The Grand Forks-based High Plains Fair Housing Center had been waiting on the $425,000 final installment of a three-year Fair Housing Initiatives Program grant initially expected in May. But the delay extended over the summer, leading the center to furlough four of its eight staff last month.

A notification reached center Executive Director Michelle Rydz on Saturday that the grant money was in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s financial system for disbursing funds, she said. The grant starts Thursday.

Three of the center’s four furloughed staff can come back. The fourth took a job with Legal Services of North Dakota, a partner organization, Rydz said. 

The High Plains Fair Housing Center assists people within the scope of the federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibits people from being treated differently because of a protected characteristic, including race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status or disability. The center investigates, mediates and resolves housing discrimination complaints, and assists with accommodations.

The center’s intake line suffered most during the grant lapse “because we just didn’t have the resources to be able to contact as many people as possible, and so people were waiting longer,” Rydz said. It’s unclear whether anyone lost their housing as a result, she said.

Dakotas’ only fair housing group furloughs part of staff due to funding gap

She credited North Dakota’s congressional delegation for stepping in, making calls and following through.

“I think that they realize the importance of High Plains in the housing ecosystem in terms of keeping people housed and providing those advocacy services,” Rydz said. 

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., said when she learned of the funding delay, her office immediately reached out to HUD and the White House to get answers and push for a timely resolution. 

“I know this funding gap had real consequences, and I’m glad we could get this issue resolved and the center fully staffed again,” she said.

HUD did not respond to a North Dakota Monitor email for comment.

In 2025, the center fielded 958 total calls, more than one-third of which related to allegations of housing discrimination. The others dealt with landlord-tenant matters or general inquiries.

The center reached 204 resolutions for clients, about half of which were done without having to file a complaint.

In the last year and a half, the center has handled about 100 calls in South Dakota, which has no in-state fair housing organization. The center will be able to resume taking calls from South Dakota, Rydz said.

Reach North Dakota Monitor reporter Jack Dura at [email protected].