Housing Lawsuit Filed Against City and Housing Authority

For Immediate Release

For More Information, Please Call:
Anna Folmnsbee
Communications and Media Manager
afolmnsb@mckinneytexas.org
972-547-7525 / 469-667-7688

Housing Lawsuit Filed Against City and Housing Authority

McKINNEY, Texas (November 20, 2008) - The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. (ICP), a nonprofit corporation involved in public housing issues, filed suit today against the City of McKinney and the McKinney Housing Authority (MHA). ICP alleges that McKinney and the MHA discriminate against individuals based on race or color because the city did not enter into an agreement to partner with ICP for the development of a low-income multifamily housing complex west of US 75.

“The city’s response to this lawsuit will show that the claims of discrimination made by this group are absolutely untrue,”� said McKinney Mayor Pro Tem Bill Cox. “The city works to ensure that affordable housing is available to all residents and is proud of its record of being at the forefront in providing low-income housing. Over half of the low-income housing units in Collin County are located in McKinney, although it makes up less than 20 percent of the County’s population. McKinney also has about twice the statewide average for low-income housing units per capita.”�

ICP filed a similar lawsuit today against the Town of Flower Mound, and has other housing lawsuits pending against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, and the owners of an apartment complex in the City of Irving. Each of those lawsuits also alleges discrimination in providing low-income housing.

The MHA is governed by an independent board of directors and is not part of the City of McKinney’s annual budget

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