Fair Housing Resource Center

10/07/2026

09/30/2026

PRESS RELEASE

PAINESVILLE, OHIO - Fair Housing Resource Center, Inc. (FHRC) has joined nine other nonprofit housing organizations from across the country in a federal lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s cancellation of approximately $56 million in congressionally appropriated housing counseling funding.

The lawsuit was filed September 29, 2026, by Democracy Defenders Fund and Jacobson Lawyers Group on behalf of 10 nonprofit organizations, including FHRC. The complaint challenges HUD’s cancellation of grant funding that housing counseling organizations had expected to receive following months of delays and uncertainty.

FHRC is a HUD-approved housing counseling agency serving residents of Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula Counties in Northeast Ohio. Through its housing programs, FHRC assists local residents navigating housing instability and other housing-related challenges.
For organizations like FHRC, federal housing counseling funding supports the local infrastructure that helps residents understand their housing options and make informed decisions when facing some of the most significant financial challenges of their lives.
“In 2026, this is exactly the wrong time to make it harder for homeowners in distress to get help. We must restore access to trusted, local housing counseling without further delay. Families facing the loss of their homes cannot put their crises on hold while funding remains unresolved.” - Patricia Kidd, Executive Director, Fair Housing Resource Center.

According to the complaint, the funding cancellation violates federal law and the Administrative Procedure Act and infringes First Amendment protections. The plaintiffs are asking the federal court to address the withholding of funds and the policy changes challenged in the lawsuit.

The national organizations involved in the case warn that the loss of these funds could reduce access to homebuyer education, foreclosure-prevention counseling, rental counseling and other housing services at a time when households continue to face significant housing affordability pressures.

For FHRC, the case is ultimately about maintaining access to housing counseling services for Northeast Ohio residents.

“These are not simply numbers in a federal budget. These funds represent real people in our communities who need somewhere to turn when they are facing foreclosure, struggling to understand their housing options, or working toward successful homeownership. It has been heartbreaking for our organization to turn away individuals and families seeking services because the resources we have historically relied upon to assist them are no longer available. We see firsthand the fear and uncertainty people experience when their housing is at risk, and having to tell someone that we cannot provide the help they need is devastating. FHRC joined this action because the residents of our communities deserve continued access to trusted, local housing counseling services when they need them most.”

Fair Housing Resource Center is one of 10 plaintiffs participating in the lawsuit, alongside national, state and local housing organizations from across the country.
About Fair Housing Resource.

Fair Housing Resource Center, Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in Painesville, Ohio, providing housing programs and services benefiting residents of Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula Counties.

Call now to connect with business.

09/29/2026

🏠 **STAR PROGRAM FUNDING UPDATE**

FHRC's STAR Program still has funding available to assist eligible Lake County households!

Due to high demand, funding has currently been **exhausted** for the following assistance:

❌ **Security Deposit Assistance** for low- to moderate-income households
❌ **Temporary Rental Subsidy Assistance** for low- to moderate-income households

**However, other STAR Program assistance is still available!** ⭐

Eligible low- to moderate-income households may still apply for:

🔑 **First Month’s Rent Assistance**
🚚 **Moving Assistance** for eligible moving truck expenses

In addition, eligible **senior and disabled households** may still apply for:

💵 **Temporary Rental Subsidy Assistance for up to 6 months**

Funding is limited, and all households must meet program eligibility requirements. Assistance is not guaranteed and is subject to funding availability.

📍 STAR assistance is available to eligible households in **Lake County, Ohio, excluding the City of Mentor.**

📞 **Interested in applying or finding out if you qualify?**
Contact Fair Housing Resource Center at **440-392-0147**.

09/28/2026

Legal Aid is hosting TWO free legal advice clinics in our eastern communities in October.

Saturday, October 3 at Chagrin Falls Park Community Center (7060 Woodland Ave) with check-in beginning at 10AM

Wednesday, October 21 at Wickliffe Family Resource Center (2255 Rockefeller Rd) with check-in beginning at 4PM

At these clinics, our staff and volunteer attorneys will answer questions about civil legal issues related to housing, safety, consumer rights, health, family law, education, work, and income. Both clinics are first-come, first-served, with no reservations needed.

08/31/2026

Civil rights, fair housing, consumer, domestic violence, and real estate groups reject redesigned form shutting nine percent of the public out of federal fair housing enforcement FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WASHINGTON—The National Fair Housing Alliance and 78 civil rights, fair housing, consumer, domes...

08/27/2026

Some very good news for fair housing!

Yesterday, a federal judge granted a Temporary Restraining Order blocking HUD's attempt to radically restructure funding under the Fair Housing Initiatives Program — the federal program that helps support fair housing enforcement organizations like FHRC across the country.

FHRC is a member of the National Fair Housing Alliance, one of the plaintiffs in the case, and we were proud to support the challenge by providing a declaration explaining how these funding changes would affect local fair housing organizations and the people who rely on us for help.

And the Court's decision was strong.

U.S. District Judge Myong J. Joun found that HUD's explanation for its actions "falls woefully short of the mark." He concluded that HUD's process was under-reasoned and ultimately found that the Department's stated reasons for its new funding structure were "pretextual."

The Judge also wrote that it "belies credulity" to believe that limiting funding to only five awards — while excluding nearly all existing nonprofit fair housing organizations — could strengthen fair housing work across the country.

The Court vacated and set aside the FY2025 funding notices and ordered HUD to return to the FY2024 structure for allocating FY2025 FHIP funds.

This matters because fair housing enforcement happens locally.

When someone believes they have been denied housing because of their race, disability, national origin, s*x, familial status, religion, or another protected status, they don't usually start by calling Washington. They call organizations like Fair Housing Resource Center.

They call us.

The Court recognized that the harm from these funding decisions extends beyond the organizations themselves to the individuals who may be left without fair housing enforcement assistance.

We are proud to stand with the National Fair Housing Alliance, Massachusetts Fair Housing Center, fair housing organizations throughout the country, and the attorneys at Relman Colfax who fought this challenge.

There is more work ahead, but yesterday was an important victory.

Fair housing rights only mean something if people have somewhere to turn when those rights are violated.

Send a message to learn more

08/27/2026

When we stick together, we win!! This is a perfect example of the perserverence of the FHRC staff this summer!

08/27/2026

🎉 A VICTORY FOR FAIR HOUSING! 🏠⚖️

We are incredibly pleased to share important news for fair housing organizations and the communities we serve across the country.

A federal court has blocked HUD’s FY2025 funding changes that threatened to drastically reduce fair housing services and force many local nonprofit fair housing organizations to close their doors or lay off staff.

The court vacated HUD’s FY2025 funding notices and directed HUD to distribute these critical Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) funds using the previous funding structure.

Why does this matter?

Local fair housing organizations are often the first place people turn when they experience housing discrimination. We investigate complaints, conduct testing, educate tenants and housing providers, advocate for people with disabilities, and help ensure that the protections of the Fair Housing Act exist not just on paper—but in our communities.

According to the National Fair Housing Alliance, private fair housing organizations handle approximately three out of every four housing discrimination complaints filed nationwide.

This ruling helps protect that work. 💙

The fight is not completely over. Challenges involving FY2026 funding remain before the court, and we will continue watching those developments closely.

But today, we celebrate an important victory for fair housing, local communities, and the people who depend on these services every day.

🏠 Fair housing matters. Local enforcement matters. And we are still here.

Judge vacates HUD’s funding overhaul that would have reduced fair housing services and closed nonprofits’ doors FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WASHINGTON—A federal judge today blocked a HUD plan that would have radically altered a decades-old fair housing grant program and defunded more than 100 priva...

08/12/2026

🏡Are you a Lake or Geauga County resident struggling with delinquent property tax? Lifeline's expanded Property Tax Assistance Program can now provide up to $2,500 in one-time assistance on arrear tax payments for eligible Lake or Geauga County households.

📲Call Lifeline at (440) 354-2148 - EXT. 504 for more details.

08/10/2026

SCAM ALERT