LOS ANGELES, CA – At the Housing Rights Center (HRC), we believe that everyone deserves equal access to housing opportunities free from discrimination. As the nation’s largest nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fair housing, HRC has worked since 1968 to educate and support renters, homeowners, housing providers, and community members in understanding their rights and responsibilities under fair housing laws.

Fair housing laws protect people from discrimination when renting, buying, financing, or living in housing. These protections help ensure that housing decisions are based on legitimate qualifications– not stereotypes, assumptions, or prejudice.

The federal Fair Housing Act, passed in 1968, was a landmark civil rights law created in response to widespread housing discrimination across the United States. Often called the last great piece of civil rights legislation, the Fair Housing Act was signed into law just days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968.

It made it illegal to deny housing or treat people differently based on protected characteristics such as race, color, religion, or national origin. Over time, these protections have been expanded to reflect a broader commitment to equal opportunity in housing.

In California, fair housing protections were strengthened through the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), first enacted in 1959 and expanded significantly over time. Today, California law enforced by the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) goes beyond federal protections by covering additional characteristics and providing broader safeguards against housing discrimination.

Housing discrimination is not always obvious. Examples of actions that violate fair housing laws in California include:

• A housing provider only rents to applicants who speak the same language as them, or charges higher fees for applicants based on their primary language.

• When applying to rent a new apartment, an applicant is told by the property manager that they should look for housing elsewhere, because the management company prefers to not rent to people who are using government assistance, like Section 8, to help pay their rent.

• A renter with a disability requests an accommodation to have their emotional support animal in their housing, and they never hear back from their landlord regarding their request.

• After reporting untreated mold in their unit that is affecting their health to the Public Health Dept., a couple is told by administrative staff at the rental property to stop causing trouble or the landlord will report them to immigration authorities.

Read more from HRC's newsletter (link).

If you believe you have experienced discrimination in housing contact the Housing Rights Center for free counseling at 1(800)-477-5977. To request a workshop for your organization, please email outreach@housingrightscenter.org. For more resources, visit www.housingrightscenter.org/help and follow HRC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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The Housing Rights Center (HRC) is a non-profit organization established in 1968 to actively support and promote equal opportunity and freedom of residence to all persons without regard to their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, familial status, disability, marital status, ancestry, age, source of income, or other characteristics protected by law. The Center engages in activities – including outreach/education, investigation/testing and legal advocacy – to identify barriers to fair housing in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and to help counteract and eliminate discriminatory housing practices.