Resources for Housing

Table of Contents

Government Agencies that Enforce Fair Housing Laws

California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH)
(800) 884-1684
http://www.dfeh.ca.gov/

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Office of Fair Housing And Equal Opportunity
(800) 347-3739
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/online-complaint

Resources For Legal Information, Advice, or Representation

Eviction Defense Collaborative
For assistance if you have received a Termination of Tenancy notice or a Summons/Complaint for Unlawful Detainer (eviction lawsuit). EDC administers the Tenant Right to Counsel program (https://evictiondefense.org/services/right-to-counsel/), to provide legal advice and/or representation for tenants in eviction cases.
Legal assistance line: (415) 659-9184
Email: legal@evictiondefense.org
Website: https://evictiondefense.org/ 
Office:1338 Mission St., 4th Floor

Lawyer Referral & Information Service - Bar Association of San Francisco
(415) 989-1616
https://www.sfbar.org/lris/
Free or reduced-cost legal services may be available depending on your income and type of case.

Bay Area Legal Aid
Income restrictions apply.
1800 Market Street, 3rd Floor (between Octavia & Laguna)
https://baylegal.org/get-help/find-an-office/san-francisco-county/
Phone: (415) 982-1300 or (800) 551-5554

Legal Assistance to the Elderly
Services are available to San Francisco residents age 60 and over, and also to people with disabilities.
1663 Mission Street, Suite 225, San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: (415) 538-3333
https://www.laesf.org/
info@laesf.org

Tenderloin Housing Clinic (THC)
Call 415-771-9850 for an intake phone interview to determine whether a THC attorney can help in your case. 
Due to limited resources, THC cannot represent everyone who seeks assistance, and focuses on representing long-term rent controlled tenants.
http://www.thclinic.org/programs/legal-programs.php

Open Door Legal
Limited service area (includes zip codes 94107, 94112, 94124, & 94134)
(415) 735-4124
4622 3rd St., San Francisco, CA 94124
For general information: https://opendoorlegal.org/
To start a case: https://opendoorlegal.org/starting-a-case/

AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP)
ALRP works to help people with HIV/AIDS maintain or improve their health by resolving their legal issues.
Call (415) 701-1100, ext. 314 for Housing matters.
http://www.alrp.org

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California
The ACLU may be able to offer legal guidance or representation for matters involving discrimination in housing due to race, gender, ethnic background, religion, disability or any other basis protected by anti-discrimination laws. 
(415) 621-2488 
https://www.aclunc.org/our-work/get-help

National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
NCLR is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, legislation, policy, and public education. NCLR may be able to offer legal advice, referrals, or representation for matters involving discrimination due to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or related issues. 
Legal Help Line: 1.800.528.6257 or 415.392.6257 
Email: Info@NCLRights.org 
http://www.nclrights.org/legal-help/

Fair Housing Information Materials

Guidance Materials from the U.S. Federal Government

HUD: Fair Housing For All: https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=FHEO_Booklet_Eng.pdf

HUD Notice: Assessing a Person’s Request to Have an Animal as a Reasonable Accommodation Under the Fair Housing Act: 
https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PA/documents/HUDAsstAnimalNC1-28-2020.pdf

Joint Statement of The Department of Housing And Urban Development And The Department Of Justice Reasonable Accommodations Under The Fair Housing Act: https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/huddojstatement.pdf
(Plain text version: https://www.justice.gov/crt/us-department-housing-and-urban-development)

Joint Statement of The Department of Housing And Urban Development And The Department Of Justice Reasonable Modifications Under The Fair Housing Act: https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/DOC_7502.PDF

Other HUD Materials: https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/fair_housing_e...

Guidance Materials from California/DFEH

Fair Housing: You Are Protected Under California Law: https://www.dfeh.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2018/08/DFEH_FairHou...

Disability Discrimination: California Fair Housing Laws Protect You From Discrimination: https://www.dfeh.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2017/09/DFEH_DisabilityDiscriminationHousing.pdf

Other DFEH Fair Housing resourceshttps://www.dfeh.ca.gov/resources/posters-and-brochures-and-fact-sheets/poster-and-brochure-tab-list/?target=housing

Materiales en Español

Igualdad en la Vivienda - Usted Esta Protegido Segun las Disposiciones de la Ley en California: https://www.hacosantacruz.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/FairHousingBroc...

Conozca Sus Derechos: https://www.dfeh.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2018/04/housingright...

Other Fair Housing Guidance Materials

Fair Housing For People With Disabilities (Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco): http://www.ilrcsf.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Fair-Housing-Booklet_large.pdf

What "Fair Housing" Means for People with Disabilities (Bazelon Center): http://www.bazelon.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/What-Fair-Housing-Mean...

Fact Sheet: Rights to Assistance Animals in Housing (Disability Rights California): https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/publications/fact-sheet-rights-to-ass...

Right to Emotional Support Animals in "No Pet" Housing (Bazelon Center): http://www.bazelon.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2017-06-16-Emotional-S...

Know Your Rights: Fair Housing (Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus): https://www.advancingjustice-alc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Fair-Hou...

Primer on Fair Housing Law (Fair Housing Legal Support Center & Clinic, John Marshall Law School): www.jmls.edu/clinics/fairhousing/pdf/fair-housing-primer.pdf

Fair Housing Advocacy Organizations

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus
55 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone: (415) 896-1701
https://www.advancingjustice-alc.org

Disability Rights California
1330 Broadway, Suite 500, Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 267-1200 or (800) 776-5746
http://disabilityrightsca.org/

Housing Equality Law Project
(415) 797-4357
www.housingequality.org

Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco
Advocacy, information, and support services for people with disabilities.
825 Howard Street, SF, CA 94103
Telephone: (415) 543-6222 
https://www.ilrcsf.org/

Legal Assistance to the Elderly
Free legal services for senior and disabled San Francisco residents.
(415) 538-3333
701 Sutter Street, 2nd Floor
http://laesf.org/

ECHO Housing
Service area includes parts of Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and ​Monterey County.
Phone: 855-275-3246 [855-ASK-ECHO]
http://www.echofairhousing.org/

Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California (formerly Fair Housing of Marin)
Service area includes Marin County, Solano County, and Sonoma County (except the city of Petaluma).
1314 Lincoln Avenue, Suite A San Rafael, CA 94901
Phone: 415.457.5025
http://www.fairhousingnorcal.org

Project Sentinel
Project Sentinel is a nonprofit agency dedicated to ending housing discrimination through education, advocacy, investigation and enforcement of fair housing laws. Service area includes Monterey County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, Stanislaus County, and parts of Alameda County. 
Phone: (888) 324-7468 or (650) 321-6291
Email: info@housing.org
http://housing.org/

Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC)
LSNC is a federal, state and local-funded legal services program providing civil representation to low-income clients in Northern California, including the following counties:  Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Chico, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Tehama, Trinity, and Yolo counties.
LSNC Vallejo office: 1810 Capitol Street, Vallejo, CA 94590
Phone: (707) 643-0054
Other locations: https://lsnc.net/how-contact-us

California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA)
CRLA offers a variety of services and programs to California's low-income communities, including advocacy for people who experience housing discrimination.
CRLA Santa Rosa office: 1160 N. Dutton Ave., Suite 105, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
(707) 528-9941
Other locations: http://www.crla.org/office-listing

 

Other Housing Resources, Agencies, and Organizations

California Tenant Guide (2020 version)
California Tenants: A Guide to Residential Tenants’ and Landlords’ Rights and Responsibilities: https://landlordtenant.dre.ca.gov/resources/guidebook/index.html
(En español) Arrendatarios De California: Una Guia Para Los Derechos Y Las Responsabilidades De Los Arrendatarios Residenciales Y Los Arrendadores: https://landlordtenant.dre.ca.gov/pdf/resources/CaliforniaTenantRenterGu...

SF Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development
Administers local housing programs.
1 South Van Ness, 5th Fl. San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: (415) 701-5500. Main website: http://sfmohcd.org/
Below Market Rate (BMR) housing rental & ownership opportunities [DAHLIA Housing Portal]: https://housing.sfgov.org/

SF Rent Board
To file a claim for an unlawful rent increase, reduction in services, or other violation of the San Francisco Rent Ordinance.
25 Van Ness Ave, Suite #320
415-252-4602
http://sfrb.org
Additional resource listings: http://sfrb.org/rent-board-referral-listing

Conflict Intervention Service (CIS)
CIS is a grant funded project of the City and County of San Francisco in partnership with The Bar Association of San Francisco’s Bay Area Mediation Services Program.  This innovative program utilizes skilled mediators with diverse backgrounds in landlord-tenant law, psychology, addiction, mental health and housing conflict to resolve disputes in affordable housing that can lead to eviction or homelessness.
415-782-8940
https://www.sfbar.org/adr-services/cis/

San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI)
To file a complaint with DBI regarding residential maintenance, plumbing or electrical hazards, or disability access.
1660 Mission Street        
(415) 558-6220
https://sfdbi.org/filing-complaint

Housing Rights Committee
Information and counseling on tenants’ rights (including subsidized housing matters).
Mission district office: 1663 Mission St, 5th Floor; (415) 703-8634
Richmond district office: 4301 Geary Blvd (at 7th Ave); (415) 947-9085
www.hrcsf.org

Causa Justa/Just Cause
Tenant counseling and case management.
2301 Mission Street, Suite 201
(415) 487-9203
https://cjjc.org/

San Francisco Tenants Union
In-person tenant counseling (no services for subsidized housing matters).
558 Capp Street
Call 415-282-6622 or visit website for schedule.
https://www.sftu.org/

Bill Sorro Housing Program (BISHOP)
The Bill Sorro Housing Program offers application assistance for affordable housing opportunities, tenant counseling and housing case management, as well as other education and advocacy services.
A drop-in clinic for new clients is offered every Tuesday at 1009 Howard Street from 10 am – 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm – 4 pm.
Primary office: 1360 Mission Street #400, San Francisco, CA 94103 (between 9th and 10th street) 
Phone: 415-513-5177
Web: http://bishopsf.org/
Email: info@bishopsf.org 

Tenants Together
Tenants Together is a statewide agency working to improve the lives of California’s tenants through education, organizing and advocacy. 
(415) 495-8100
info@tenantstogether.org
http://www.tenantstogether.org/
Additional resource listings: http://www.tenantstogether.org/resource-directory

Rental Assistance Resources

Season of Sharing (for seniors, people with disabilities, or families with children)
Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund 
P.O. Box 44740, San Francisco, CA 94144
Phone: 415-777-7120
https://seasonofsharing.org/

Homeless Prenatal Program (for families with minor children)
(415) 546-6756

Eviction Defense Collaborative
1338 Mission St., 4th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103
http://evictiondefense.org/for-tenants/rental-assistance/

Catholic Charities (for families or single adults)
(415) 972-1301 
990 Eddy Street, San Francisco, CA 94109

 

Shelter and Homelessness Resources

SF Department of Homelessness & Supportive Housing
Call 3-1-1 to make a shelter reservation or find a service provider.
http://hsh.sfgov.org/ 

Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP)
HAP provides legal services and supporting social services to individuals and families in San Francisco who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness, while prioritizing individuals who have mental health disabilities.  
125 Hyde Street, San Francisco CA 94102
Phone: (415) 575-3130 or Toll Free 1-800-405-4427  
https://www.sfbar.org/jdc/jdc-legal-services-programs/hap/

Coalition on Homelessness
468 Turk Street 
Phone: (415) 346-3740 
http://www.cohsf.org/

Shelter Monitoring Committee
1380 Howard Street, 1st Floor
Phone: 415.255.3642
shelter.monitoring@sfgov.org
http://sfgov.org/sheltermonitoring/

Homeless Prenatal Program
2500 18th St. San Francisco, CA 94110 
Phone: 415.546.6756 
Fax: 415.546.6778 
Email info@homelessprenatal.org.
http://www.homelessprenatal.org/