Fair Housing

Foster City strives to ensure that the sale, rental or financing of housing is not denied to any individual on the basis of race, sex, national origin, religion, age, marital status, disability, or other arbitrary factors. Information and resources are provided below.

New! State of California Fair Housing Survey

The State of California Housing and Community Development Department has issued a survey for California residents to provide valuable information about fair housing. From the HCD website: "Let your voice be heard! The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is updating its Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI), which is our fair housing plan for the next five years, and we want to hear from you. Completing this survey will help HCD understand what California residents are currently experiencing and refine our goals to make affordable, safe, and stable housing more accessible. We appreciate your valuable input."  The survey is open until April 1, 2024. Click here to take the survey.

Foster City Tenant Anti-Discrimination Regulations, Chapter 5.72.

Chapter 5.72 makes is unlawful for the owner or manager of rental housing to discriminate against an existing tenant on the basis of that tenant’s use of a Section 8 or any other rent subsidy.

Foster City Reasonable Accommodation Regulations, Chapter 17.84.

Chapter 17.84 of Foster City's Municipal Code provides a formal procedure to request reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities seeking equal access to housing under the federal Fair Housing Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act in the application of zoning laws and other land use regulations, policies and procedures. For reasonable accommodation requests for rental housing, contact your property manager.

Resources for Persons with Disabilities

The  Golden Gate Regional Center coordinates a process to determine services and supports for persons with developmental disabilities and their families pursuant to the Lanterman Act. The Golden Gate Regional Center also works with local education agencies that are primarily responsible for providing Early Start services to infants and toddlers with vision, hearing and severe orthopedic impairments; the regional centers are solely responsible for providing services to all other children eligible for Early Start.  The Center for Independence of Those with Disabilities provides resources for people with disabilities. 

Additional Resources

Project Sentinel is a non-profit organization.  Their primary function is to assist individuals with housing problems such as discrimination, mortgage foreclosure & delinquency, rental issues including repairs, deposits, privacy, dispute resolution, home buyer education, post-purchase education, and reverse mortgages.  Their Mission is to develop and promote fairness and equality of housing for all persons and to advocate the peaceful resolution of disputes for community welfare and harmony.  

Project Sentinel is a HUD-approved Housing Counseling Agency that

(1) helps tenants and landlords resolve their housing problems through counseling, conciliation, and mediation;

(2) investigates complaints of housing discrimination and provides counseling on fair housing issues; and

(3) provides a complete suite of mortgage and home ownership-related housing counseling services.

Project Sentinel also provides training on landlord-tenant and housing counseling services on request. FREE Helpline: (650) 399-2149, Address: 1615 Hudson St., Suite A, Redwood City, CA 94061