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As the seasons change and many things feel uncertain right now, our commitment to protecting your fair housing rights remains steadfast. If you think you have experienced housing discrimination or have questions about your housing rights, The Fair Housing Center is here for you. Our team will help you to understand and exercise your rights, so that you can access fair and equitable housing opportunities, free from discrimination. Contact our advocates today to get the help you need!
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While progress has been made, the need for Pride Month is very much still apparent. In 2022, nearly 3 in 10 [LGBTQ+] adults reported experiencing some kind of housing discrimination or harassment in the past year because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status. Read more...
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This Mental Health Awareness Month, we are shedding light on the challenges faced by people experiencing mental illness, and the protections that the Fair Housing Act offers to ensure that all people – regardless of disability – can live where they choose, free from discrimination. Read more...
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Each April, National Fair Housing Month is celebrated to reaffirm our commitment to ending housing discrimination and commemorate the passage of the federal Fair Housing Act in 1968, which prohibits discrimination in the sale or rental of housing on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability.
Read more...
| | | | Community-Based Groups Ask Court to Halt HUD Funding Directive that Threatens to Close or Gut More than 100 Local, Nonprofit Fair Housing Organizations Nationwide | | Image Source: Wikimedia Commons | | |
The fight to protect local fair housing organizations continues.
NFHA and the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center have filed a lawsuit against HUD to halt the agency's latest attempt to dismantle the primary federal funding program supporting community-based fair housing organizations.
If HUD's funding changes are allowed to stand, more than 100 local organizations could be forced to close or significantly reduce services—leaving veterans, families with children, seniors, people with disabilities, survivors of domestic violence, and countless others with fewer places to turn when their housing rights are violated.
These organizations have spent nearly four decades enforcing the Fair Housing Act and helping people obtain and maintain the housing of their choice free from discrimination. They are essential, experienced, and cannot be easily replaced.
(Source: National Fair Housing Alliance)
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Please join us in welcoming our newest staff member, Scout Rainey, to the team!
Scout joined The Fair Housing Center in 2026 as the Outreach Intern within the Education & Outreach team. In her role, she helps out on fair housing education efforts by presenting trainings, assisting with community outreach events, and supporting general housing education activities.
Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Scout is a junior at Case Western Reserve University double-majoring in Political Science and English with hopes of ending up in D.C. at the end of her undergraduate years. Working as an undergrad research assistant for the CWRU Political Science department, she has remained passionate about politics, advocacy, and government relations, with areas of focus in election law and civil rights.
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The Fair Housing Center is hiring a Program Assistant to provide program support to the agency’s Mobility Program, as well as limited administrative support to management and general office assistance. Applications for this position will be reviewed on a rolling basis, beginning August 3, 2026, until filled.
To apply, please send cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references with contact information in PDF format by email to:
Carrie Pleasants, Executive Director
Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research
cpleasants@thehousingcenter.org
Learn more about this open position at thehousingcenter.org/jobs!
| | ICYMI: July Housing & Community Development Forum | | |
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our recent Housing & Community Development Forum on Source of Income Rental Protections. We were fortunate to have Professor Heather Abraham (University at Buffalo School of Law) and Heather Remesch (Enterprise Communities) with us to share their knowledge and insights into this very important and relevant topic.
The discussion examined how the uneven legal landscape affects housing access across the state, particularly for voucher holders, families with children, older adults, and people with disabilities. It also explored recent constitutional challenges to SOI protections and how municipalities and courts have been addressing those challenges.
If you missed the conversation, the full recording is now available on The Fair Housing Center's YouTube channel!
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This summer, The Fair Housing Center's Education & Outreach team has been busy attending resource fairs, delivering trainings, and participating in other outreach events throughout the community. Check out some of our upcoming events below, and register at thehousingcenter.org/events!
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National Night Out Against Crime: 8/4/26 | 4PM – 8PM | Steelyard Commons, 3447 Steelyard Dr, Cleveland, OH 44109
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Benjamin Rose Community Resource Fair: 8/7/26 | 1:30PM – 4PM | Benjamin Rose, 11890 Fairhill Road Cleveland, OH 44120
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Cuyahoga County Family Fun Day: 8/11/26 | 11AM – 2PM | Public Square, 50 Public Square, Cleveland, OH 44113
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Success Fair 2026: 8/14/26 | 11AM – 3 PM | Huntington Convention Center, 300 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland, OH 44113
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Senior Living Resource Fair: 8/19/26 | 11:30AM – 1:30PM | North Olmsted Senior Center, 28114 Lorain Rd, North Olmsted, OH 44070
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Slavic Village Health, Wellness, & Employment Fair: 8/21/26 | 11AM – 3PM | Community Assessment & Treatment Services (CATS), 8415 Broadway Ave., Cleveland, OH 44105
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Data Walk: 9/17/26 | 5:30PM – 7:30PM | Garfield Heights Public Library, 5409 Turney Road, Garfield Heights, Ohio 44125 | Register here
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Know Your Rights: Fair Housing for Residents: 9/24/26 | 6:30PM – 8:30PM | Euclid Public Library – Shore Room, 631 E. 222 Street, Euclid, OH 44123 | Registration info coming soon.
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Landlord/Tenant Law Training for Housing Providers: 10/14/26 | 6:30PM – 8:30PM | Euclid Public Library – Shore Room, 631 E. 222 Street, Euclid, OH 44123 | Registration info coming soon.
| | Frank Ford Featured in CNN Segment on Housing Affordability in Cleveland | | |
For generations, Cleveland offered working families a chance to build a stable future. Now, soaring rents and home prices are putting that promise out of reach and pushing many residents from the communities they helped create.
Our Senior Policy Advisor, Frank Ford, was recently featured in a CNN segment, which aired on Friday, July 17th, during Erin Burnett OutFront. It is part of the "Priced Out in America" series, highlighting the affordability crisis in the United States.
| | ICYMI: News You Should Know About | |
As Federal Funding Cuts Loom, Your Support Could Save Local Fair Housing Work | |
The Fair Housing Center has been on the front lines of fighting housing discrimination in Northeast Ohio for decades. But today, federal funding cuts threaten the very existence of organizations like ours.
Recent HUD actions could prevent experienced local organizations from receiving the federal funding they need to investigate discrimination, educate communities, and enforce the protections guaranteed under the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Without that funding, many organizations may be forced to close, layoff staff, or significantly reduce services.
Fair housing organizations like ours handle more than 70% of housing discrimination cases nationwide. Without these critical services, countless individuals and families could lose trusted advocates when they need one most.
We can’t afford to let that happen. Fortunately, your support for fair housing can make a real impact.
By donating directly to your local fair housing organization, you can help to fill in the gaps, and increase our capacity to continue educating and advocating for the rights of community members. Your support makes a world of difference for local families facing housing discrimination and instability.
| Thank You for Supporting Fair Housing | | Your support makes this work possible. We would like to recognize and thank our top donors of the past quarter for their generous support of fair housing work: | |
- Diane Citrino
- Laura Fogarty
- Allison Kretz
- Katerina MacGregor
- Linda Pastor
- Carrie Pleasants
- Phil Star & Jane Peterson
- Arthur Solomon
- Kirk Stewart
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Deedra Strang
- Gerald Swartz
- Edward Warren
| | Are you a supporter of fair housing who is interested in taking the next step and becoming a donor? Visit www.thehousingcenter.org/give to learn how you can support fair housing! | | |
About Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research
The Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research (The Fair Housing Center) is a nonprofit fair housing organization whose mission is to protect and expand fair housing rights, eliminate housing discrimination, and promote integrated communities. The Fair Housing Center has been in existence for 35 years, beginning as the Metropolitan Strategy Group in 1983.
The federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibits discrimination in the sale or rental of a dwelling on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability. The purpose of the law is to eliminate housing discrimination and promote residential integration.
For more information visit www.thehousingcenter.org.
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Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research | 2800 Euclid Ave., Suite 401, Cleveland, OH 44115
(216) 361-9240 | www.thehousingcenter.org
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