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status, or age (over 40 only), and sexual orientation, DFEH established a program in May 2003 for
<br />mediating housing discrimination complaints, which is among the largest fair housing mediation
<br />program in the nation to be developed under HUD's Partnership Initiative with state fair housing
<br />enforcement agencies. The program provides California's tenants, landlords, and property owners
<br />and managers with a means of resolving housing discrimination cases in a fair, confidential, and
<br />cost-effective manner. Key features of the program are: 1) it is free of charge to the parties; and 2)
<br />mediation takes place within the first 30 days of the filing of the complaint, often avoiding the
<br />financial and emotional costs associated with a full DFEH investigation and potential litigation.
<br />Fair Housing Council of Orange County
<br />Founded in 1965, the Fair Housing Council of Orange County is a non-profit operating throughout
<br />the county with a mission of ensuring access to housing and preserving human rights. The council
<br />provides a variety of services including community outreach and education, homebuyer education,
<br />mortgage default counseling, landlord -tenant mediation, and limited low-cost advocacy. Their
<br />services are provided in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. In addition to these client services, the
<br />Fair Housing Council investigates claims of housing discrimination and assists with referrals to
<br />DFEH. The Council may also occasionally assist with or be part of litigation challenging housing
<br />practices.
<br />Fair Housing Foundation
<br />The Fair Housing Foundation serves parts of Los Angeles County and several cities in Orange
<br />County. Of the jurisdictions included in this analysis, the following are covered by the Fair
<br />Housing Foundation's service area: Anaheim, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Garden Grove,
<br />Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Orange (city), San Clemente,
<br />Tustin, and Westminster. The Foundation provides landlord -tenant counseling and mediation,
<br />rental housing counseling, and community outreach and education. In addition, the Foundation
<br />screens fair housing complaints, investigates through testing, and will engage in conciliation or
<br />mediation efforts or refer the complaints to the appropriate administrative agencies where
<br />appropriate. The Foundation contracts with several of the jurisdictions in this analysis to conduct
<br />their local fair housing activities.
<br />Community Legal Aid SoCal
<br />Community Legal Aid SoCal is a holistic legal services provider serving low-income people
<br />Orange County and Southeast Los Angeles County. Overall, community legal aid provides direct
<br />representation, as well as engaging in policy advocacy and impact litigation. The advocates in the
<br />housing program provide legal assistance across a broad range of fair housing issues, including
<br />"eviction, federally or otherwise publicly subsidized housing, substandard housing, landord/tenant
<br />issues, homeownership issues, homeowners association issues mobile homes, housing
<br />discrimination, an predatory lending practices."9 The main office is located in Santa Ana, with
<br />9 https://www.communitylegaIsocal.org/programs-services/area-of-law/housing/
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<br />75A-551
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