WATERLOO -- The Waterloo Commission on Human Rights now has its fair housing enforcement resting on a sturdier foundation.

The city agency was in hot water with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development last year for failing to resolve complaints of housing discrimination in a timely fashion. A number of cases were well over the 100-day standard HUD established for case processing.

But David Meeks, the commission's executive director, said the issue had been resolved.

"Two years ago we had 20 cases that were noncompliant," Meeks said. "Today, we have zero cases that are over 100 days old. We've put ourselves on solid ground to remain compliant in that area."

Meeks credited the work of staff, commission members and volunteers for helping right the ship.

"With that small staff over there - we've come a long way," he said. "But we need all the support we can get from the city and we appreciate what we get each year."

That support is increasing in the fiscal year starting July 1. The recently adopted budget allows the commission to boost its part-time fair housing coordinator to full time without benefits, essentially going from 25 to 40 hours a week.

"It has always been about money and the ability to do things," said Mayor Tim Hurley. "It was just a matter of how we were going to pay for it."

Hurley said the additional hours for the fair housing position should allow the commission to "get fully in front and on schedule" with housing complaints, which brings a stipend from HUD to help keep the budget in the black.

"That money was just for a year," Hurley said. "We recognize the accomplishments that are there in cleaning up the cases, but we want to see results next year."

The commission became a certified fair housing agency in 2000, which empowered it to investigate complaints of housing discrimination based on race, sex, religion, creed, national origin, age, disability and, now, sexual orientation. HUD gave the agency more than $125,000 a year from 2001 through 2004 to build up its program, with the hope it would become self-supporting through the $2,400 it would receive for each case handled.

But the federal grant dwindled to just $50,000 to $68,000 a year. And the loss of a full-time fair housing coordinator contributed to the backlog of cases and had HUD threatening to pull the plug on all funding.

While the housing complaint investigations have come into compliance, Meeks said employment case processing has also improved. The commission has lowered what had been an average three-year processing time down to 18 months, and is working for a 12-month turnaround.

Meanwhile, the agency is continuing its outreach and education efforts, hoping to lower incidents and discrimination complaints, and held three job fairs in response to Iowa's worst-in-the-nation African-American employment rate.

"We just went through the most active period in the history of the commission in terms of outreach and education," Meeks said.

Contact Tim Jamison at (319) 291-1577 or tim.jamison@wcfcourier.com.