HOPE Fair Housing Center

Fair Housing Advocacy Serviceshopefair.org

HOPE Fair Housing Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1968 in Wheaton, Illinois that provides free fair housing advocacy, discrimination complaint investigation, training, and educational resources to residents across 40+ Illinois counties.

Company typePrivate
Founded1968
HeadquartersWheaton, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What HOPE Fair Housing Center does

HOPE Fair Housing Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fair housing organization founded in 1968 and headquartered in Wheaton, Illinois. The organization provides advocacy, investigation, education, and direct service related to housing discrimination, serving residents across more than 40 Illinois counties. Its work is rooted in the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 and corresponding Illinois state and local statutes, and it offers free intake for discrimination complaints, training programs for tenants, housing providers, realtors, and survivors of abuse, and targeted resources addressing specific issues such as bond for deed predatory contracts and barriers faced by Housing Choice Voucher holders.

The organization's service portfolio centers on complaint investigation and enforcement support, supplemented by an expanding suite of educational products launched or refreshed in 2025 — including the bilingual Renter's Guide to Tenant Screening, the Sectioned Off documentary on the Housing Choice Voucher Program, and a Bond for Deed information and assistance program. Auxiliary offerings include self-advocacy toolkits, hate incident reporting, and a housing resources directory. Channels for accessing services include phone (630-690-6500), email, online intake forms, in-person and virtual presentations, and active social media profiles on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

The business model is that of a traditional advocacy nonprofit: all services are provided free of charge to the public, with operating funding derived from charitable contributions, grants, and likely federal/state fair housing enforcement funding (HUD Fair Housing Initiatives Program and Illinois counterparts, though not explicitly disclosed). The organization employs between 1 and 10 people, is independently governed by its own board, holds a Charity Navigator Encompass rating, and is registered with Guidestar under EIN 23-7036081. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

HOPE Fair Housing Center firmographics

Firmographics

Name: HOPE Fair Housing Center
Legal name: HOPE Fair Housing Center
Website: https://hopefair.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1968
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: HOPE Fair Housing Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1968 in Wheaton, Illinois that provides free fair housing advocacy, discrimination complaint investigation, training, and educational resources to residents across 40+ Illinois counties.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

HOPE Fair Housing Center industry classification

Industry

Product category: Fair Housing Advocacy Services
NAICS: Other Community Housing Services (624229), Human Rights Organizations (813311)
SIC: Services-Social Services (8300)
akta.pro primary industry: Fair Housing, Compliance & Housing Program Oversight (FSALAKAN)
akta.pro secondary industry: Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

Fair housing advocacy
Housing discrimination investigation
Tenant rights education
Fair housing training
Nonprofit housing services

Where HOPE Fair Housing Center is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Wheaton
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Markets served

HOPE Fair Housing Center business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

HOPE Fair Housing Center product offering

Product offering

Core offering

HOPE Fair Housing Center is a nonprofit organization that provides free fair housing services to residents across 40+ counties in Illinois, including discrimination reporting and investigation, educational training programs on fair housing rights, assistance for victims of bond for deed predatory contracts, self-advocacy toolkits, and resources such as a Renter's Guide to Tenant Screening and a documentary on the Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Product overview

HOPE Fair Housing Center is a nonprofit organization offering a unified portfolio of fair housing services. The core offering centers on fair housing counseling, discrimination reporting, and enforcement. Supporting this are educational products including training programs on fair housing rights (available for general audiences, survivors of abuse, housing providers, and realtors), the Renter's Guide to Tenant Screening (in English and Spanish), and the 'Sectioned Off' documentary. The organization also provides information and assistance regarding Bond for Deed contracts and offers self-advocacy toolkits for individuals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Fair Housing Services Core fair housing services including reporting housing discrimination, enforcement of fair housing laws, and ensuring equal housing opportunities across 40+ counties in Illinois. Available free to the public.
Fair Housing Training Programs Educational presentations covering fair housing rights, survivor rights, housing provider responsibilities, assistance animals, and custom training sessions tailored to specific organizational needs. Delivered to tenants, housing providers, realtors, and survivors of abuse.
Renter's Guide to Tenant Screening A resource guide helping tenants navigate housing application screenings, document income information, and secure rentals, particularly for those with nontraditional income sources, low credit, or without rental histories. Available in English and Spanish.
Sectioned Off: Realities of the Housing Choice Voucher Program A documentary film about the history of the Housing Choice Voucher Program and its efficacy over 50 years later.
Bond for Deed Information and Assistance Educational resource explaining bond for deed contracts, associated risks including eviction, unfair terms, and high interest rates, with assistance available for those trapped in predatory contracts.
Self-Advocacy Toolkits Resources to help individuals advocate for their fair housing rights.
Housing Discrimination Reporting Intake service allowing individuals to report housing discrimination violations.

Companies that use HOPE Fair Housing Center

Customer profile

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

HOPE Fair Housing Center technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

HOPE Fair Housing Center partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

HOPE Fair Housing Center competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Regional players

Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation: A Chicago nonprofit developing and preserving affordable housing on the north and west sides. Comparable as an Illinois affordable housing community organization whose resident population frequently interacts with fair housing services like HOPE's.

Direct peers

Prairie State Legal Services: A statewide Illinois legal aid provider serving low-income residents on housing, consumer, and family law matters. Comparable because it delivers free legal services across multiple Illinois counties, including housing-related issues overlapping with HOPE's casework.
Open Communities: A Chicago-area fair housing and immigrant rights organization providing discrimination investigation, education, and tenant support. Direct peer given identical mission focus on housing discrimination in Illinois and overlapping service mix.
Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights: A civil rights legal organization tackling housing discrimination as part of a broader civil rights portfolio. Comparable because it conducts fair housing enforcement, impact litigation, and community education in Illinois.
Metropolitan Tenants Organization: A Chicago-based tenants' rights organization providing tenant counseling, organizing, and education. Comparable because it educates Illinois renters on screening, evictions, and habitability issues overlapping with HOPE's tenant screening guide.
Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing: Chicago-based legal aid organization providing legal representation and education on housing discrimination and tenant issues. Comparable because it addresses the same protected-class and tenant-rights problems through investigation and counseling in Illinois.

Broad incumbents

National Fair Housing Alliance: The national umbrella organization for the fair housing movement, of which HOPE is a local member-style affiliate. Highly comparable because both focus on fair housing enforcement, training, and policy advocacy; NFHA operates at the national level while HOPE is a regional implementer.
HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity: The federal agency that enforces the Fair Housing Act and funds local fair housing organizations. Comparable as the broader incumbent funder/regulator whose programs underwrite much of the work HOPE performs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

HOPE Fair Housing Center financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

HOPE Fair Housing Center leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

HOPE Fair Housing Center funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

HOPE Fair Housing Center M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about HOPE Fair Housing Center

What does HOPE Fair Housing Center do?

Is HOPE Fair Housing Center a public or private company?

HOPE Fair Housing Center is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was HOPE Fair Housing Center founded?

HOPE Fair Housing Center was founded in 1968. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is HOPE Fair Housing Center based?

HOPE Fair Housing Center is headquartered in Wheaton, United States, in the North America region.

Who are HOPE Fair Housing Center's main competitors?

Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Prairie State Legal Services, Open Communities, Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, Metropolitan Tenants Organization and Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing. Broad incumbents are National Fair Housing Alliance and HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

Does HOPE Fair Housing Center have an API?

No public API is recorded for HOPE Fair Housing Center.

What industry is HOPE Fair Housing Center in?

HOPE Fair Housing Center's product category is Fair Housing Advocacy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSALAKAN, Fair Housing, Compliance & Housing Program Oversight, with a secondary code of BPAGALAC, Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts). Its NAICS code is 624229 and its SIC code is 8300.