Southern California Housing Rights Center

What Southern California Housing Rights Center does

Southern California Housing Rights Center (HRC), also styled as Housing Rights Center and branded "HRC," is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3)-style non-profit founded in 1968 that is described in its own materials as the nation's largest non-profit fair housing organization. It delivers free services — housing counseling, discrimination investigation, and outreach and education — to tenants, prospective renters, and landlords across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Service delivery runs through a toll-free hotline (1-800-477-5977 / TTY 1-213-201-0867), virtual counseling, in-person housing clinics and workshops, a Fair Housing Certification program for landlords, online resource hubs (Project Place rental listings, eviction resources, sexual-harassment resources), and a forthcoming 2026 Housing Rights Summit.

The organization operates a portfolio of free products rather than a licensed technology stack: housing counseling, discrimination investigation, fair-housing workshops, housing clinics, Project Place rental listings, eviction resources, sexual-harassment-in-housing resources, and a landlord Fair Housing Certification. There is no proprietary software platform or technology product disclosed in the input data; supporting technology is limited to a Wix-hosted website, email newsletters, and standard social-media channels (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).

HRC's business model is that of a donation- and grant-funded non-profit: all services to tenants and landlords are provided at no cost, and operating revenue is sourced from public donations, likely HUD Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) grants, state and county contracts, and foundation support. The organization does not charge for services, has no disclosed revenue figure, and is governed by a Board of Directors under Executive Director Chancela Al-Mansour, with a leadership bench that includes Litigation Director Rodney Leggett, Director of Media, Outreach & Education Elana Eden, and Staff Attorney Zachary Frederick. Strategic impact is delivered through direct services, impact litigation (including 2021, 2022, and February 2025 lawsuits on Section 8 discrimination, disability accommodation, and disaster-driven price gouging), and coalition participation in Stay Housed L.A. alongside Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Neighborhood Legal Services, Public Counsel, Inner City Law Center, Western Center on Law & Poverty, and Strategic Actions for a Just Economy.

Name

Southern California Housing Rights Center

Legal name

Housing Rights Center

Website

https://housingrightscenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Housing Rights Center (HRC), founded in 1968 in Los Angeles, is a non-profit fair housing organization providing free housing counseling, discrimination investigation, and outreach and education to tenants and landlords across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fair Housing Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fair Housing, Compliance & Housing Program Oversight (FSALAKAN)

Keywords

• Fair housing services
• Housing discrimination investigation
• Tenant counseling
• Landlord certification
• Civil rights advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Support: HRC operates as a non-profit organization accepting donations and support from the public to fund free fair housing services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Southern California Housing Rights Center (HRC) is a non-profit civil rights organization founded in 1968 that provides free fair housing counseling, discrimination investigation, and outreach and education services to residents of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. The organization also conducts fair housing workshops, housing clinics, landlord certification, eviction defense referrals, and impact litigation against discriminatory landlords and price gouging.

Product overview

The Housing Rights Center (HRC) is a non-profit fair housing organization offering free services including housing counseling, discrimination investigation, and outreach and education. The organization operates as a service-oriented nonprofit rather than a technology product company, providing advocacy, legal assistance, and educational resources to tenants and landlords in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. HRC's services include fair housing workshops, housing clinics, rental listings through Project Place, eviction resources, and landlord certification programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Housing Counseling Free housing counseling services providing guidance to tenants and landlords on housing rights and responsibilities.
• Discrimination Investigation Investigation services to identify and address housing discrimination based on protected characteristics.
• Outreach and Education Educational programs and outreach activities to promote fair housing awareness and compliance.
• Fair Housing Workshops Free workshops for tenants, landlords, and agencies covering fair housing laws and best practices.
• Housing Clinics Housing clinic services providing direct assistance and guidance on housing-related issues.
• Project Place: Rental Listings Rental listing service to help connect tenants with available housing opportunities.
• Fair Housing Certification (Landlords) Certification program for landlords on fair housing laws and compliance.
• Stay Housed L.A. Coalition-based eviction defense program providing information, resources, and streamlined referrals to legal services for tenants facing eviction.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully settled case for disabled tenant denied housing based on vision disability
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2025Community-based tenant organization that builds community power for economic justice. SAJE tracks exploitative rent gouging through spreadsheets and partnered with HRC to file a mass lawsuit against landlords violating anti-price-gouging laws following the Palisades and Eaton fires.
• Western Center on Law & PovertycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2025California's premier nonprofit public interest social justice law organization. Provides comprehensive advocacy and legal services for affordable housing policies. Co-represented the mass lawsuit against price gouging landlords with HRC.
• Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2025Nonprofit law firm seeking equal justice for people living in poverty across Greater Los Angeles. Co-represented the price gouging lawsuit and part of Stay Housed L.A. coalition.
• California Center for Movement Legal ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2025Works to improve lives of underserved community members through impact litigation, eviction defense, and community-led policy. Co-represented the price gouging lawsuit.
• Mental Health Advocacy Services (MHAS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2022Mental health advocacy organization that partnered with HRC to assist a disabled tenant denied housing in South Los Angeles. Provided legal support for the case that resulted in equal access to housing for people with disabilities.
• Stay Housed L.A. CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2020Eviction defense coalition including HRC, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, Public Counsel, and Inner City Law Center. Provides online resources, legal services, and community workshops for tenants facing eviction during COVID-19 pandemic.
• Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2020Part of Stay Housed L.A. coalition providing legal aid to Los Angeles County residents facing eviction.
• Public CounselcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2020Part of Stay Housed L.A. coalition providing civil legal aid services to Los Angeles County residents.
• Inner City Law CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2020Part of Stay Housed L.A. coalition providing legal services to inner city residents facing housing issues.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Public Counsel: Largest pro bono public interest law firm in the U.S., providing civil legal aid including housing and tenant rights. Co-member of the Stay Housed L.A. coalition with HRC and shares a similar free-services, grant-funded nonprofit model.
• Bet Tzedek Legal Services: Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing free legal aid with deep focus on housing, elder care, and consumer rights. Highly comparable in mission, geography, and free legal services delivery to vulnerable populations.
• Inner City Law Center: Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing free legal services to low-income residents on housing, homelessness, and related civil issues. Direct coalition partner in Stay Housed L.A., operating in overlapping service territory with HRC.
• Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA): Nonprofit law firm providing free civil legal services to low-income residents across Greater Los Angeles, including housing and eviction defense. Direct coalition partner in Stay Housed L.A. and co-litigant in the 2025 price-gouging mass lawsuit with HRC.
• Inland Counties Legal Services: Nonprofit legal aid organization serving Riverside and San Bernardino counties with housing and fair housing services. Comparable in mission, structure, and free legal aid delivery model to HRC, though operating in adjacent Inland Empire geography.
• Western Center on Law & Poverty: California statewide nonprofit public interest law and policy organization focused on housing, healthcare, and economic security. Co-litigant in the 2025 price-gouging mass lawsuit with HRC, and shares a similarly broad civil rights advocacy mission.
• Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE): Los Angeles tenant advocacy nonprofit building community power for economic justice. Strategic coalition partner that co-filed the 2025 price-gouging mass lawsuit with HRC, and is highly comparable in grassroots tenant organizing focus.
• Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County: Provides free civil legal services to low-income residents in the San Fernando and Antelope Valleys and greater LA County, with housing as a core practice area. Coalition partner in Stay Housed L.A. alongside HRC, offering comparable free legal aid to a similar client base.

Broad incumbents

• National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA): National umbrella organization for the fair housing movement, providing training, advocacy, and research, with a network of local fair housing organizations. Operates as the national-level equivalent and likely convener of which HRC is a member.

Regional players

• California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA): Statewide nonprofit legal services program serving California's rural poor, with housing and farmworker rights as core practice areas. Operates a comparable free legal aid model to HRC but in rural and agricultural geographies rather than LA County.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hrc_la
• Instagraminstagram.com/housingrightscenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/housingrightscenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Southern California Housing Rights Center