National Housing Law Project

What National Housing Law Project does

National Housing Law Project (NHLP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization founded in 1968 as part of the War on Poverty, headquartered in San Francisco with a second office in Washington, DC. Its mission is to advance housing justice for poor and extremely low-income individuals by strengthening tenants' rights, preserving affordable housing, and enforcing fair housing protections. NHLP operates at the intersection of housing policy, community development, legal services, and civil rights.

The organization's core assets are its content library and community network rather than technology products. Its flagship asset is the Green Book (HUD Housing Programs: Tenants' Rights), the definitive legal reference on federal housing law for advocates, available in print and digitally through a partnership with the National Consumer Law Center. It also hosts the Housing Justice Network (HJN), a free national network of 1,700+ housing advocates supported by an active listserv, working groups on policy and litigation, and biennial conferences. NHLP conducts impact litigation (e.g., HUD eviction rule challenge, Chicago Housing Authority settlement), publishes guidebooks and monthly newsletters, delivers webinars and fellowship programs, and coordinates coalitions across disaster response, immigrant rights, fair housing, and reentry housing.

NHLP's revenue model is typical of a mid-sized legal advocacy nonprofit, comprising three streams: donations and contributions (likely the largest, including foundation grants and dedicated advocacy funds such as the Bill Powers Advocacy Fund and the David B. Bryson & Sylvia M. Brennan Memorial Funds), conference and training registration fees ($225-$1,225 per ticket), and publication sales. Distribution occurs through free HJN membership, the organization website, in-person conferences, and technical assistance to member advocates. There are no commercial customers; beneficiaries are low-income tenants, homeowners, and the legal aid attorneys and organizers who represent them.

Name

National Housing Law Project

Legal name

National Housing Law Project

Website

https://nhlp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Housing Law Project is a 58-year-old nonprofit that advances housing justice for low-income Americans through legal advocacy, litigation, training, and the 1,700-member Housing Justice Network, serving legal aid attorneys, advocates, and tenant organizers nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Advocacy and Housing Law Support Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Housing law advocacy
• Legal services support
• Tenant rights resources
• Affordable housing policy
• Impact litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: NHLP accepts donations from individuals and organizations to support its mission of advancing housing justice. The organization runs specific advocacy funds including the Bill Powers Advocacy Fund and David B. Bryson & Sylvia M. Brennan Memorial Funds.
2. Conference and Training Revenue: Revenue generated from Housing Justice Network Conference registrations and New Advocate Training programs. Conference pricing ranges from $225-$1,225 depending on ticket type and timing.
3. Publication Sales: Sales of publications including the Green Book and other housing law resources, with digital versions available through the National Consumer Law Center library.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NHLP provides legal advocacy, impact litigation, and technical assistance on federal housing law to support attorneys and advocates representing low-income tenants and homeowners. It publishes the Green Book (HUD Housing Programs: Tenants' Rights), maintains the Housing Justice Network of 1,700+ advocates, hosts a biennial conference and training webinars, and runs subject-matter initiatives on issues such as LIHTC, foreclosure, fair housing, and protections for survivors of domestic violence.

Product overview

National Housing Law Project (NHLP) is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization founded in 1968 that advances housing justice through a multi-pronged approach. The organization operates as a platform of interconnected programs and resources rather than a single unified product. Core offerings include: the HUD Housing Programs: Tenants' Rights (Green Book), the seminal authority on federal housing law; the Housing Justice Network (HJN), a national network of 1,700 housing advocates; the biennial HJN Conference bringing together housing justice professionals; and various guidebooks, webinars, and publications covering specific topics like LIHTC tenant rights, rural housing preservation, and fair chance housing policies. NHLP also sponsors fellowships for emerging public interest attorneys. Together, these products and programs support legal services attorneys, tenant advocates, and housing organizers in advancing housing rights for low-income individuals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HUD Housing Programs: Tenants' Rights (The Green Book) The seminal authority on HUD tenants' rights used by advocates and housing professionals nationwide, available in print and digital formats. Covers HOTMA updates, VAWA protections, and HUD inspection standards.
• Housing Justice Network (HJN) Free membership network of 1,700+ experienced housing advocates providing an active listserv for peer-to-peer learning, litigation support, working groups on policy advocacy, and national meetings.
• Housing Justice Network Conference Biennial in-person training and networking conference for housing justice advocates, featuring 30+ workshops and the David B. Bryson Memorial Award and Bill Powers Housing Justice Award.
• Guidebooks Advocacy guidebooks including An Advocate's Guide to Rural Housing Preservation, Open Records Requests Guide on Nuisance Property Ordinances, and Fair Chance Ordinances: An Advocate's Toolkit.
• Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Resources Comprehensive LIHTC resource center including An Advocate's Guide to Tenants' Rights in the LIHTC Program, QAP advocacy materials, and VAWA protections for LIHTC properties.
• Saving HUD Multifamily Homes Webinar Series A six-part webinar series providing 30-minute trainings for tenant advocates on key preservation risks and strategies, covering project-based rental assistance, HAP contract renewals, and recapitalization.
• RUSH Program Report Joint report with the National Low Income Housing Coalition evaluating HUD's Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing (RUSH) program and providing recommendations for disaster housing response improvements.
• Fellowship Program Post-graduate fellowship sponsorship for emerging public interest attorneys and law students committed to housing justice, with projects in VAWA housing protections, immigrant rights, LGBTQ housing rights, LIHTC tenant rights, and healthy homes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ advocates trained at biennial HJN conferences
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 November 2026SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy. SPLC is the sponsor of HJN 2026 Conference, helping make the conference possible and supporting scholarships for advocates and organizers who would not otherwise be able to attend. NHLP has worked closely with SPLC on policy and on litigation over the last several years.
• National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 October 2023NLIHC and NHLP co-released a report on HUD's Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing (RUSH) Program, finding that while RUSH offers vital support to disaster-impacted communities, improvements should be made before future implementation. NHLP is part of NLIHC's Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition which includes over 900 organizations.
• Housing Justice CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHLP, along with Housing Justice Center and HOME Line, filed an amicus brief supporting Twin Cities tenants fighting unfair eviction debt collection.
• HOME LinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHLP, along with Housing Justice Center and HOME Line, filed an amicus brief supporting Twin Cities tenants fighting unfair eviction debt collection.
• Legal Action ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal Action Chicago, together with lawyers from NHLP and McDermott Will & Emery, negotiated a landmark settlement with Chicago Housing Authority ensuring tenants receive adequate notice of minimum rent hardship exemptions and providing financial relief to thousands of residents.
• McDermott Will & Emery LLPsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPro bono partner in Chicago Housing Authority minimum rent settlement. The law firm contributed significant legal resources to achieve injunctive and financial relief for thousands of Chicago residents.
• Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel with NHLP in federal lawsuit against HUD and Chicago Housing Authority over fair housing violations related to public housing land disposition.
• Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHLP coordinated with hundreds of organizations in the PIF Coalition to advocacy for immigrant families' access to housing and social services. Coalition helped defeat Trump administration's immigrant housing proposal in 2019 and advocated for public charge regulations.
• Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHLP helped bring case challenging Trump administration's public charge rule on behalf of ICIRR and Cook County. The case was ultimately dismissed after Supreme Court rejected states' efforts to revive the harmful rule.
• Sidley Austin LLPsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with NHLP and co-plaintiffs in public charge litigation, bringing significant legal resources to challenge the Trump administration's harmful rule.
• National Consumer Law Center (NCLC)supportingTechnology or IntegrationNHLP partnered with NCLC to offer the HUD Housing Programs: Tenants' Rights (Green Book) on NCLC's digital library, providing enhanced features including copy-paste, bookmarks, and live links.
• Millennia Resistance CampaigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHLP supports the Millennia Resistance Campaign, a tenant-led effort to hold HUD accountable for ensuring decent, safe, and sanitary housing conditions at Millennia properties. Campaign successfully advocated for HUD debarment of Millennia.
• American Friends Service CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHLP supports campaigns led by American Friends Service Committee, including the Millennia Resistance Campaign and advocacy for housing justice in Atlanta and beyond.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Center for Constitutional Rights: CCR is a national legal advocacy organization that conducts impact litigation on civil and human rights issues including housing. Both organizations pursue federal court litigation against HUD and other agencies, engage in coalition advocacy, and serve as legal support centers for movement lawyers.
• National Housing Conference: NHC is a nonprofit membership organization advocating for affordable housing through policy research, education, and convening. It complements NHLP's work by engaging a broader range of stakeholders including developers, lenders, and government officials on federal housing finance and preservation policy.
• Southern Poverty Law Center: SPLC is a major civil rights advocacy organization and the sponsor of NHLP's HJN 2026 Conference. Both organizations pursue impact litigation, policy advocacy, and coalition organizing on behalf of marginalized communities, with overlapping focus on housing discrimination, immigrant rights, and racial justice.
• National Consumer Law Center: NCLC is a national nonprofit focused on consumer law and policy for low-income Americans, which partnered with NHLP to offer the Green Book in digital format. Both organizations produce seminal legal reference publications, conduct impact litigation, and serve as support centers for legal aid attorneys nationwide.
• National Low Income Housing Coalition: NLIHC is the leading national advocacy organization dedicated to achieving socially just public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes have quality homes. NHLP co-authored the RUSH Program report with NLIHC and both serve overlapping constituencies of housing advocates and low-income tenants through federal policy advocacy and coalition building.
• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: Lawyers' Committee is a national civil rights organization that engages in impact litigation and advocacy. Its Chicago affiliate (Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights) is a direct litigation partner with NHLP on HUD/CHA fair housing cases, with shared focus on housing discrimination enforcement.
• Poverty and Race Research Action Council: PRRAC is a national civil rights policy organization focused on structural racism and poverty, whose executive director Philip Tegeler received NHLP's David B. Bryson Memorial Award. Both organizations conduct federal housing policy advocacy, fair housing litigation, and research on disparate impact in housing programs.

Others

• National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials: NAHRO is a membership association for housing and community development professionals at public housing agencies. While not a direct advocacy peer, NAHRO represents the agencies that administer the federal housing programs NHLP seeks to reform, making it an adjacent ecosystem participant and sometimes counterparty in policy debates.

Broad incumbents

• Enterprise Community Partners: Enterprise is a national nonprofit that invests capital, develops policy, and delivers programs to create affordable housing. It operates at larger scale than NHLP across housing development and finance, making it a broader incumbent that overlaps with NHLP on federal policy advocacy and LIHTC issues.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation: LISC is a national nonprofit community development financial institution that invests in affordable housing and economic development. It overlaps with NHLP on housing preservation advocacy and rural housing issues, but operates at significantly larger scale with direct lending and development capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nhlp
• Facebookfacebook.com/nationalhlp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-housing-law-project/?viewAsMember=true

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Housing Law Project