The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) unveiled the first housing discrimination mobile application for iPhone and iPad in February 2013.

Developed by HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) and Hewlett Packard (HP), the app provides the public with a quick and easy way to learn about their housing rights and to file housing discrimination complaints, and inform the housing industry about its responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act.

Go to HUD.gov for more information and to download the app.

The app will be an important tool to:

• assist fair housing groups and other civil rights advocacy organizations in their efforts to help individuals pursue their housing rights and industry to educate their members on their responsibilities.
• equip people everywhere with the information they need to combat housing discrimination
• make the process for filing fair housing complaints faster and easier
• arm fair housing partners with the information needed to understand fair housing rights and responsibilities

The app can also:

• be used by individuals researching their housing rights after a natural disaster, when power outages make the iPhone/iPad one of the few ways to access the Internet
• provide information about the fair housing complaint process
• allow the public to access HUD’s toll-free discrimination hotline and link to HUD’s fair housing Web site, www.hud.gov/fairhousing.