Press Release: For 2nd year Fair Housing Foundation and HomeOwnership OC Partner to Receive $125,000 HUD Grant to Fight Housing Discrimination in OC and LA Counties

For 2nd year Fair Housing Foundation and HomeOwnership OC Partner to Receive $125,000 HUD Grant to Fight Housing Discrimination in OC and LA Counties

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Melanie Silberberg
1-800-446-3247 ext. 1111
[email protected]

Long Beach, CA February 11, 2022 – The Fair Housing Foundation and HomeOwnership OC announced today that the nonprofit organizations have received a grant of $125,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support their collaborative work to help end housing discrimination in Orange and Los Angeles Counties. The funds are provided through HUD’s Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) which provides support to local nonprofit agencies to help assist individuals who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination, and to educate housing providers and communities about fair housing laws. The EOI grant helps to educate the public and housing providers about their rights and responsibilities under federal law or state and local fair housing laws that are substantially equivalent to the Fair Housing Act.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with HomeOwnership OC on this grant. Our goal is to continue expanding our fair housing marketing and outreach efforts, and educational work to our communities so the public can prevent, recognize, and report housing discrimination,” said Stella Verdeja, Executive Director of the Fair Housing Foundation. “COVID-19 and its unique effects, has placed the spotlight on the housing issues that renters and homeowners were facing before the pandemic. With this collaboration, we will enhance our programs and services on fair housing laws to assist renters, homeowners, home seekers, and the housing industry. We are committed to advancing housing equality for everyone, even during these uncommon times.”

FHF and HOOC will partner together to provide a strategic educational campaign that offers online fair housing educational workshops, fair housing information, public service announcements, and social media ads, to better serve the Orange and Los Angeles communities.

If you believe you may have experienced discriminated in housing, please contact the Fair Housing Foundation to complete an interview. Contact FHF at 1-800-446-3247 (TTY: 1-800 855-7100), email [email protected] or HomeOwnership OC at 714-204-2314 or visit www.HomeOwnershipOC.org.

About Fair Housing Foundation

The Fair Housing Foundation (FHF) is a non-profit organization formed in 1964 and is dedicated to eliminating discrimination in housing and promoting equal access to housing choices for everyone. FHF offers a comprehensive Fair Housing Program that includes discrimination complaint intake, testing and investigation; outreach and educational activities; and landlord and tenant rental counseling.

FHF has been continuously providing services to municipalities for 58 years. We assist approximately 6,000 clients annually. The purpose of the FHF Fair Housing program is to educate tenants, landlords, owners, Realtors, and property management companies on fair housing laws and to secure grassroots involvement within the community. Our motto is “Education over Litigation.” The Fair Housing Foundation is a HUD-Certified Housing Counseling Agency and also offers Rental Counseling.

About HomeOwnership OC

Homeownership OC is a nonprofit that promotes financial improvement, housing opportunities, and homeownership. Formally known as OC HOC, our mission is to promote and preserve the dream of homeownership through outreach, education, counseling, and financing. Homeownership OC works to educate the public, especially the low income and underserved populations, on all aspects of owning or renting a home. We are a one-stop-shop and a free resource here to assist the community with all their housing-related issues.

From renting to buying a home, to credit improvement and more, Homeownership OC works to ensure the community has the most up to date information and comprehensive resources easily accessible. This includes offering individual housing counseling and educational workshops to help individuals better understand housing situations, build assets, and improve overall financial wellbeing. Since our inception in 2007, we have counseled more than 17,120 consumers on options to save their home from foreclosure, improve credit, rental issues, homeownership, down payment, and fair housing rights. We have also held more than 74 Home Preservation, Home Buying, Avoiding Real Estate Scams and Fraud, and Financial Educational Workshops throughout Orange County.

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FH Poster Contest 2022

The 38th Annual Fair Housing Poster Contest is Here!

January 28, 2022 – On your art! Get set… Go! Our annual Fair Housing Poster contest is back! The contest is open to students in 4th through 8th grade. Students must create a poster on any size paper with this year’s theme “Fair Housing: Transforming Communities” and submit a picture in JPEG, PNG, or PDF format to: [email protected]

1st Place – Chromebook 💻
2nd Place – $75 Amazon Gift card 🛒
3rd Place – $50 Gaming Gift Card 🎮

Poster submission deadline is Saturday, April 16, 2022. This year we will be announcing the winner during our Virtual Fair Housing Month event in April.

Good Luck!

FHF Settles Disability Discrimination Case involving a denial of an Emotional Support Animal (ESA)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Melanie Silberberg
1-800-446-3247 ext. 1111
[email protected]

Long Beach – December 16, 2021 The Fair Housing Foundation (FHF) and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) settled a housing discrimination case against an owner, located in Long Beach, CA. FHF engaged in a voluntary mediation in DFEH’s Dispute Resolution Division. A resident manager of the owner discriminated against the prospective tenant because of his disability.

The complainant, a prospective tenant looking for an apartment in the city of Long Beach, filed a complaint with FHF on July 22, 2020, alleging that he suffered illegal discrimination because he has an Emotional Support Animal (ESA). The prospective tenant is a disabled Veteran. The prospective tenant initially inquired about an apartment available at the complaint address. When the prospective tenant met with the onsite manager to inquire about the available vacancy, he disclosed that the apartment was for him and his ESA. The onsite manager told prospective tenant that they could not rent to him because he had a dog despite him clarifying to the manager that the dog was an emotional support animal.

In the settlement, the respondent will pay $5,000 ($1,500 to FHF and $3,500 to the prospective tenant). In addition to a monetary settlement, the resident manager will undergo to a fair housing training that will focus on disability accommodations and the interactive process. The training will be conducted by the Fair Housing Foundation. The respondent will also revise their current policies, regarding reasonable accommodations and display fair housing posters at their property. “This case serves as an example that discrimination towards people with disabilities still occurs today,” says Case Analyst Sindy Guzman, “at the Fair Housing Foundation, we are committed to helping people with disabilities during discrimination cases such as this one.”

If you believe you may have experienced discriminated based on disability or any other protected class under federal or California law, please contact the Fair Housing Foundation to complete an interview. Contact FHF at 1-800-446-3247 (TTY: 1-800 855-7100) or [email protected].

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COVID-19 Rent Relief Program

June 28, 2021 – Governor Newsom signed legislation AB 832, extending the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program through September 30, 2021.

AB 832 extends eviction protections to September 30, 2021 and now covers 100 percent of past-due and prospective rent payments, as well as utility bills for income-qualified tenants. These efforts will enable low-income households most impacted by the pandemic to stay in their homes and prevent displacement which will be crucial to an equitable recovery.

CA COVID-19 Rent Relief provides financial assistance to income-qualified renters experiencing housing instability. The program provides rent reimbursement to landlords for unpaid rent dating back to April 1, 2020, as well as for future rent. Qualifying renters and landlords are now eligible for 100% of rent and utilities owed.

Contact us to apply for this program.

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Fair Housing Foundation and HomeOwnership OC Partner to Receive $125,000 HUD Grant to Fight Housing Discrimination in OC and LA

Long Beach, CA – September 3, 2020 – The Fair Housing Foundation and HomeOwnership OC announced today that the nonprofit organizations have received a grant of $125,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support their collaborative work to help end housing discrimination in Orange and Los Angeles Counties. The funds are provided through HUD’s Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) which provides support to local nonprofit agencies to help assist individuals who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination, and to educate housing providers and communities about fair housing laws. The EOI grant helps to educate the public and housing providers about their rights and responsibilities under federal law or state and local fair housing laws that are substantially equivalent to the Fair Housing Act.

“We are very much looking forward to our partnership with HomeOwnership OC on this grant. Our goal is to expand our fair housing marketing and outreach, and educational work to our communities so the public can prevent, recognize, and report housing discrimination,” said Stella Verdeja, Executive Director of the Fair Housing Foundation.

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Fair Housing Foundation Helps Family Reach Settlement on Discrimination Case

Long Beach, CA – July 16, 2020 – The Fair Housing Foundation (FHF) and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) settled a housing discrimination case against a Management Company, located in LA County. A resident manager of the Management Company discriminated against families with children by enforcing overly restrictive rules.

The complainant, residing in Bellflower, filed a complaint with FHF on June 19, 2018, alleging retaliation after she reported to the Management Company that the manager told the complainant that children were not allowed to play outside. As a result, the complainant was served with a sixty (60) day notice of termination of tenancy. The manager had complained about the unnecessary noise from the children.

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Fair Housing Foundation Receives Grant From The Wells Fargo Foundation

Long Beach, CA – June 1, 2020 – To help keep Californians Housed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wells Fargo Foundation presented a $10,000 grant to the Fair Housing Foundation.
In response to COVID-19, the Wells Fargo Foundation COVID-19 Housing Counseling Support (HCS) initiative will help national nonprofit housing intermediaries, local housing counselors, and nonprofit housing providers to support housing stability for more than 100,000 renters and homeowners across the U.S. facing financial challenges.
“During this unprecedented time, too many people are struggling financially and facing housing instability,” said Stella Verdeja, Executive Director of the Fair Housing Foundation. “Wells Fargo has a deep commitment to advance housing affordability solutions by supporting the work of housing counseling organizations as they serve a vital role in helping renters and homeowners facing financial difficulties.”

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The 37th Annual Fair Housing Poster Contest Has Concluded!

Long Beach, CA – April 28, 2020 – Thank you to all the students that participated in this year’s poster contest!

Here are the winners!

Congratulations!

1st Place — Marco 7th Grade
2nd Place — Horatio 8th Grade
3rd Place — Peyton 8th Grade

Contest Guidelines –
For all you smarty paints, our annual poster contest is gearing up! This year will be virtual to comply with safety regulations. What better way to pass the time than by staying home and working on an art project with a loved one? We know these are difficult times and some families have limited access to poster paper so we have modified our rules for this current health crisis. As before, the contest is open to students in Grades 4th through 8th.

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