The Fair Housing Rights Center in Southeastern Pennsylvania (FHRC) was originally organized in 1990 and was established in 1992 to address the problem of housing discrimination in Montgomery County. FHRC was founded by Dr. Mari K. Fielder, a professor and mother who realized the need for fair housing advocacy for women with children, and Marlene Craven, a disability rights advocate.

In May of 2007, FHRC changed its name from the Fair Housing Council of Montgomery County to the Fair Housing Rights Center in Southeastern Pennsylvania to reflect its geographic reach more accurately.

Today, FHRC serves Southeastern and parts of Central Pennsylvania by providing fair housing services in Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, and York counties.

The Mission of the Fair Housing Rights Center in Southeastern Pennsylvania (FHRC) is to ensure equal access to housing opportunities for all persons.

To achieve its mission, FHRC educates the public on fair housing/fair lending laws; provides investigative and enforcement services to individuals who have experienced housing discrimination in rental, sales, lending, appraisals, and other housing-related transactions; works with government to increase the public’s knowledge and  awareness of fair housing policies; audits the practices of real estate and related-industries; advocates to sustain good or amend harmful housing policies; contracts with housing providers to improve compliance with fair housing laws; monitors the community for compliance with applicable housing laws; contracts with private businesses to conduct fair housing or fair lending investigations; offers HUD certified Housing Counseling services; offers information and referrals on housing related issues, and operates as a trauma-informed service provider.

FHRC offers:

• Fair Housing Consumer Education
• Governmental Consultations and Services
• Auditing of Real Estate and Related Industries
• Fair Housing Compliance Training
• Advocacy
• Testing Services/Investigations
• HUD Certified Housing Counseling
• Referrals
• Trauma-Informed Services

To foster a culture of inclusion that leads to housing opportunities, equality, and equity for all in society.

Purpose

Dismantle open and hidden remnants of redlining, structural and institutional racism, and people-driven biases that impact public policies and social practices that harm protected classes in housing, related-industries, intersect with community and quality of life, and advocate when government and private actors impede fair housing choice for all and create social problems.

Core Values

FHRC’s core values are reflected in our brand that is synonymous with civil and human rights, as well as educating the public and enforcing fair housing laws through:

Leadership— FHRC has the fortitude to lead the region’s protected classes, housing providers, architects, builders, contractors, developers, engineers, planners, community-based organizations, elected officials, municipal workers, and stakeholders to understand their rights and obligations under federal, state, and local fair housing and related housing laws.

Engagement— FHRC tries not to forget that knowing esoteric legal information means nothing if the organization is unable to effectively market and communicate with the public, advocate on behalf of victims, and ensure that violators are forced to implement corrective actions, which reverse unethical and/or unlawful discriminatory housing policies and practices.

Collaboration— FHRC identifies viable businesses that match our mission to work with so that consumers may benefit from additional practitioners that support civil rights and the well-being of protected classes.

Partnership- FHRC partners with private, non-profit, and government agencies to effectuate HUD’s mission and priorities by increasing sustainability, affirmatively furthering fair housing, capacity building and knowledge sharing, and using housing as a platform for improving other social conditions and outcomes.

Integrity—FHRC works on behalf of vulnerable and marginalized victims who rely on our expertise to obtain social justice and wholeness.

Fidelity— FHRC is committed to seeking social justice in housing and related social conditions that affect housing such as wealth, health, and educational achievement.

Equity- FHRC is committed to holding individuals, institutions, and systems accountable for historic and modern-day practices that thwart or prevent access to housing, financing, and insuring real estate for all. Equally, we are committed to offering real opportunities to all persons who have something valuable to contribute to the organization.

Service— FHRC assists the public through advocacy, education and outreach, referral, linkage, testing, housing counseling, and a variety of legal services that support victims of unlawful housing discrimination.

We are committed to bringing fair housing education to families, housing providers, and other stakeholders across our service area. Our focus is not only assisting qualified people obtain housing but helping them to identify unlawful housing practices. These infringements span from minor to large institutional practices that cause lasting devastating community effects. Discriminatory housing practices do not always immediately reveal the extent to which it interferes with the basic need of housing as well as human and civil rights.

As a mission-critical organization, FHRC’s resources are committed to advocating for protected classes. Children are of particular interest because our hope is to prevent harm that leads to trauma that can contribute to developmental, educational, and health problems. We encourage housing providers to see their work as something that can maximize and support healthy development of children who can, in turn, grow up and give back to our society in many meaningful ways.