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Complaint Identification and Referral <br />Cities that have rarely seen a fair housing complaint may be <br />surprised by the number of such complaints made in the metro <br />area. The recently published Addendum to the Regional Analysis <br />of Impediments to Fair Housing (ARAI), which included the <br />seven -county metro region, reported on fair housing complaints <br />filed. Between 2014 and 2017, HUD received between 46 and 57 <br />complaints each year, coming from between 23 and 29 cities in <br />the Metro area. In that same period the Minnesota Department of Human Rights lodged <br />185 complaints for the Metro area. The ARAI also reported that there were approximately <br />650 reports to local legal services agencies of housing discrimination in 2016.13 <br />Considering that legal services only have the resources to serve the very low-income <br />population, this number underrepresents the need for fair housing enforcement and <br />referral services for those not qualifying for legal aid services. Therefore, it is necessary for <br />cities to have a process for complaint identification and referral. <br />Cities are encouraged to include: <br />• A designated Fair Housing Officer for the city (this person could be the same for a <br />number of cities if they so choose through a joint powers agreement or a more <br />informal agreement ). The Fair Housing Officer is in charge of receiving fair housing <br />complaints, and tracking them in a fair housing log. They are also responsible for <br />providing referral information in a timely manner. <br />13 ARAI, pg. 219 <br />14 <br />