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Fair Housing of Marin

To ensure equal housing opportunity and to educate community on the value of diversity in our neighborhoods.

Description:
At Fair Housing of Marin, we support human rights in all aspects of our lives and welcome the richness that our diversity brings to our neighborhoods. It is unlawful for landlords or property owners to discriminate on the basis of a person's race, religion, color, national origin, gender, familial status (having children), disability, marital status, sexual orientation or source of income.

As the only U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) certified housing counseling agency in Marin County, we respond to informational calls as well as offer housing counseling services including investigations of discrimination complaints against landlords and property managers. We also assist clients in filing housing discrimination complaints with state and federal agencies. In addition, our staff assists homeowners facing foreclosure and/or eviction due to the mortgage crisis.

Fair Housing also provides innovation diversity programs for students. For over 20 years, our popular Fair Housing Poster Contest challenges students to create poster that convey a message of fair housing for all. Our innovative Story Teller Program presentations encourage elementary and middle school students through stories and poems to treat all people equally in our neighborhoods.

All of these services are offered in English and Spanish at no cost to our clients, most of whom have very low or moderate incomes.

In addition, we offer Fair Housing Law and Practice through which housing professionals can earn continuing education credits. These seminars help housing professionals to avoid costly lawsuits by learning their rights and responsibilities under federal and state fair housing laws.

History:
Founded in 1982 as a program of the Marin Housing Center, Fair Housing of Marin became and independent nonprofit in 1995. We are the only nonprofit certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide fair housing and mortgage counseling services in Marin County. We also provide advisory and training services in Sonoma and Napa Counties and direct services in the City of Richmond.

Our multicultural Board of Directors is drawn from a wide spectrum of community as is our 9-person staff. They are assisted by over 40 volunteers annually.

Nancy Kenyon, our Executive Director is a founder and former Director of the National Fair Housing Alliance. Fair Housing of Marin has received national honors twice from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: initially for the first national audit on racial discrimination in Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly and secondly as a recipient of HUD's National Housing Pioneer Award. In February 2009, the California Department of Fair Employment & Housing honored a current Board member, as well as a former Board member by naming them Unsung Heroes for their outstanding efforts to ensure equal rights to housing for all persons.

Contact people:

Corinna Hensley, Office Manager/Develpment Associate, (phone), (email) Nancy Kenyon, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Adriana Ames, Education Director, (phone), (email)

Main office number: (415) 457-5025
Office fax number: (415) 457-6382

Address:

615 B Street San Rafael, CA 94901 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.fairhousingmarin.com

Directions:

We are located in downtown San Rafael just a few blocks west of US-101. Get here from 101-South (Sausalito, Marin City, Mill Valley, etc.) 1. Drive North on US-101 2. Take the exit toward CENTRAL SAN RAFAEL. 3. Turn right onto IRWIN ST. 4.. . . (more)

Last updated on April 12, 2010