Center for Fair Housing

What Center for Fair Housing does

The Center for Fair Housing (CFH), founded in 1997 in Mobile, Alabama, is a private, nonprofit community resource that advocates for, enforces, and educates on fair housing rights. Originally established as the Mobile Fair Housing Center with seed funding from a U.S. Department of Justice settlement (Lowman et al v. Mitchell Brothers, Inc., $1.8 million), CFH was designated by the City of Mobile as the lead agency for fair housing issues following the 1998 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice. It currently operates as Center for Fair Housing, Inc., and has secured two landmark settlements totaling $2.6 million in racial discrimination cases.

CFH delivers six core programs: an Enforcement Program for fair housing law compliance; Mystery Shopping Investigations using trained testers to document discrimination; an Outreach & Education Program providing seminars and training to landlords, property managers, real estate professionals, and consumers; Protections for Persons with Disabilities covering reasonable accommodations and modifications; a HUD Certified Housing Counseling Program offering pre-purchase, post-purchase, foreclosure prevention, and financial literacy services; and a Volunteer Program for investigations and advocacy. It also operates the Regional Justice Leadership Summit, the largest and longest-running such convening in the Gulf South, and launched a grassroots Fair Housing Coalition in 2019.

The organization serves an eight-county region in South Alabama (Mobile, Baldwin, Monroe, Conecuh, Clarke, Choctaw, Washington, and Escambia) with a staff of approximately 6–8 people led by Executive Director Teresa Bettis. CFH is funded primarily by the HUD Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) Grant No. FEOI1900441 and accepts donations. All consumer services are provided free of charge, and the business model is grant- and donation-funded rather than revenue-generating from customers.

Name

Center for Fair Housing

Legal name

Center for Fair Housing, Inc.

Website

https://sacfh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fair Housing Advocacy and Housing Counseling Services

NAICS

Other Community Housing Services (624229), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Fair Housing, Compliance & Housing Program Oversight (FSALAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Housing Policy, Standards & Fair Housing Enforcement (BPAIANAG)

Keywords

• Fair housing enforcement
• Housing counseling
• Housing discrimination advocacy
• Mystery shopping investigations
• Community fair housing education

Headquarters

HQ city

Mobile

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: Primary funding from government grants including HUD FHIP Grant No. FEOI1900441 and other federal/state programs supporting fair housing activities.
2. Donations: Accepts donations through PayPal and other channels to support operational activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Center for Fair Housing is a private nonprofit that enforces fair housing laws through investigations, mystery shopping testing, and litigation support; educates landlords, housing providers, and consumers through seminars, workshops, and training; provides HUD-certified housing counseling including pre-purchase, post-purchase, foreclosure prevention, financial literacy, and credit counseling; and assists persons with disabilities in securing reasonable accommodations and modifications. All services are delivered free of charge to consumers across eight South Alabama counties.

Product overview

The Center for Fair Housing is a private, nonprofit community resource offering a portfolio of six interconnected programs and services aimed at eliminating housing discrimination and promoting fair housing access. The core offerings include: an Enforcement Program that monitors and ensures compliance with fair housing laws; Mystery Shopping Investigations that use trained testers to document discriminatory practices; an Outreach & Education Program providing training and workshops to housing providers and consumers; Protections for Persons with Disabilities offering guidance on accommodations and modifications; a HUD Certified Housing Counseling Program providing comprehensive homeownership preparation services; and a Volunteer Program engaging community members in advocacy efforts. Together, these services form a holistic approach to fair housing advocacy through education, investigation, enforcement, and direct counseling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Enforcement Program An enforcement program devoted to ensuring equal opportunities for housing are accessible to all by eradicating discriminatory practices. The program works to assure compliance with federal, state, and local housing laws and supports advocacy, compliance monitoring, and litigation efforts on behalf of affected individuals.
• Mystery Shopping Investigations
• Outreach & Education Program
• Protections for Persons with Disabilities
• Housing Counseling Program
• Volunteer Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Two landmark fair housing cases settled for $1.8 million (Lowman et al v. Mitchell Brothers, Inc.) and $800,000 (Jackson et al v. Delaney)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of MobilecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Mobile identified the Center for Fair Housing as the lead agency to address the City's fair housing issues following an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice conducted in 1998.
• National Fair HousingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing resources and support for fair housing advocacy at the national level.
• National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization focused on community reinvestment, providing resources and advocacy support.
• National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization advocating for affordable housing for low-income individuals, providing resources and advocacy support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Fair Housing Alliance: The national umbrella organization for fair housing groups. Operates as a larger, more established player in the same fair housing advocacy and enforcement space, with broader geographic reach.
• National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC): A national coalition focused on community reinvestment and fair lending. Listed as a partner of CFH and operates in a closely related space with broader national scope.
• National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC): A national advocacy organization for affordable housing for low-income individuals. Partner organization of CFH operating in the adjacent affordable housing policy space.
• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: A national civil rights organization with housing discrimination litigation as a core program. Larger incumbent with enforcement capabilities similar to CFH's litigation work.

Direct peers

• Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit: A regional fair housing center providing enforcement, education, and advocacy services in metropolitan Detroit. Closely comparable in mission and service delivery model.
• Open Communities (Chicago): A fair housing organization serving the Chicago region with similar enforcement, education, and counseling programs. Directly comparable in scope and methods.
• Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) of Greater Cincinnati: A regional fair housing and housing counseling organization offering similar services including enforcement, education, and HUD-certified housing counseling.
• Southwest Fair Housing Council: A regional fair housing center providing enforcement, testing, education, and outreach services. Comparable in scale and program structure to the Center for Fair Housing.

Regional players

• Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California: A Northern California fair housing organization with similar services including fair housing enforcement, education, and housing counseling.

Emerging players

• Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC): A research and advocacy organization focused on fair housing and civil rights. Operates in the same policy and advocacy space with a more research-oriented approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/al_fairhousing
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthAlabamaCenterForFairHousing
• Instagraminstagram.com/centerforfairhousing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-fair-housing

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Fair Housing