Highlights

1977: Sharon Mosley and her children experience child discrimination.
1979: Sharon and BANANAS create the Housing Rights for Children Project.
1980: Oakland passes a comprehensive anti-child discrimination ordinance (Berkeley had passed one in 1975 but wasn’t enforcing it).
1980: The Cities of Oakland and Berkeley are funding the Project to enforce their anti-child discrimination ordinances.
1984: ‘Where have all the children gone?’ is produced by the Project. It includes a model ordinance that is distributed across the county and was funded by Ms. and Shalan Foundations.
1984: Marianne Lawless begins working at the Project.
1987: Marianne and the new Board incorporate the Project and it becomes Housing Rights, Inc. (HRI)
1991: HRI conducts an audit of the rental housing market in Oakland. And finds evidence of significant racial discrimination.
1993: HRI conducts an audit of the rental housing market in Oakland and Berkeley. This one is funded by HUD through the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP).
1995: HRI receives a second FHIP grant to enforce fair housing laws in the zoning and land-use practices of local governments in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.
1996: HRI receives a third FHIP grant to continue the work started in FHIP Grant #2 in partnership with Mental Health Advocacy Services (L.A.) and Protection and Advocacy.
1996: HRI begins providing comprehensive fair housing services in the Cities of Albany, Emeryville, Piedmont and Richmond. And tenant/landlord services in the Cities of Albany, Emeryville and Piedmont.
1998: HRI becomes part of the United Way family and ‘launches’ a web-page (housing rights.com). Join us there!
1999: HRI begins serving the City of Concord by providing fair housing and tenant/landlord services.
1999: HRI is funded by the City of Berkeley to conduct tenant organizing. The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project is born!
2001: HRI: begins serving all of Contra Costa County (except Pittsburg); under contract with the Berkeley Rent Board begins providing eviction prevention services; expands services in Oakland to begin serving people with disabilities.

HRI receives a mini-grant from the Northern California Citizen's Project to host a Renter's Rights for Immigrants Conference!
2002: HRI moves to its current location at: 1966 San Pablo Avenue (near the corner of University and San Pablo).
2003: HRI creates the Homeownership Information Center. This 'virtual' program can be found at www.hic-at-hri.org. We also provide services through our offices which include: Credit Checks, Homeownership Orientation, Financial Education, and Homeowner Predatory Lending workshops.
2004: HRI is certified by the California State Department of Real Estate as a continuing education provider in Fair Housing. Our course is called 'Fair Housing is Good Business'.

(What a busy year!) HRI is certified by the California State Bar as a Laywer Referral Service. Our 'Housing Rights Lawyer Referral Service' is designed to bring low and lower income households free legal advice and in some case legal representation.

How could we not mention that in 2004 HRI turned 25 years old!
2006: HRI became a HUD certified Housing Counseling Center!