Orange County Fair Housing Council, Inc in Santa Ana, CA

The Fair Housing Council of Orange County (FHCOC) was founded in 1965 by Richard Petherbridge, a Santa Ana attorney and ACLU advocate, in response to widespread racial discrimination in housing and California's Proposition 14. The organization incorporated in 1968, the same year Congress passed the Fair Housing Act. Operating as a member of the National Fair Housing Alliance with a volunteer board of directors and paid staff, FHCOC has served Orange County for nearly 60 years with a core mission to protect quality of life by ensuring equal access to housing and fostering diversity.

FHCOC offers comprehensive services including fair housing enforcement and discrimination investigation, HUD-approved housing counseling, landlord-tenant mediation, community education programs, and low-cost advocacy services. They provide free consultations for individuals experiencing housing discrimination and conduct surveys to document discrimination patterns. The organization operates from their Santa Ana office and is accessible via phone, email, and website.

What distinguishes FHCOC is its deep historical roots in civil rights advocacy combined with formal HUD certification for counseling services. The organization has maintained continuity of mission and leadership over decades, with founding board member Robert Johnson serving for nearly five decades. As an NFCC-affiliated entity offering HUD-certified counseling, they provide government-endorsed services at no cost to consumers.

However, FHCOC is fundamentally a fair housing advocacy and discrimination-fighting organization, not a consumer credit or financial counseling service in the traditional sense. While they likely address housing affordability and landlord-tenant financial disputes, their primary focus is enforcing fair housing laws rather than providing credit repair, debt management, or personal financial counseling. Consumers seeking traditional credit counseling may need to explore their full service offerings or seek referrals to complementary NFCC members.