In 1975, the Fair Housing Center was founded on the principles of community, tolerance, and justice. It was a commitment to these principles that ignited the Women of the Old West End Neighborhood Association and several other concerned citizens and community groups to establish an organization that would combat discriminatory housing practices.
Over the past 39 years, the Center has carried out its mission through the investigation of over 11,500 complaints, resulting in awards of over $30 million for victims of discrimination. During this time, the Center has also demonstrated a talent for setting national precedents in the enforcement of fair housing laws and expanding housing opportunities for millions of Americans.
The Center conducts multiple educational outreach programs, provides housing and foreclosure prevention counseling services, advocates for the rights of victims, investigates and litigates allegations of housing discrimination. The Center’s staff is one of the best in the country, and their achievements have been recognized at the local, state and national levels.
Members of the Center’s staff have given presentations at conferences sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, the Ohio Fair Housing Congress, the Federal Reserve Bank, the Center for Community Change, the Alliance of Allied Insurers, the National Association of REALTORS®,the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, and the National Fair Housing Alliance.
Staff members have been invited by the Senate’s Bank and Lending Committee as well as the House of Representatives’ Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs to testify concerning issues of equal housing opportunity, including lending and insurance discrimination. Additionally, staff members serve on local, state and national committees.
