About
HOME
Housing Opportunities Made Equal
700 Main Street
Buffalo, New York 14202
716/854-1400
Housing Opportunities Made Equal was founded in 1963 by clergy and laity from the Buffalo Area Council of Churches concerned about pervasive discrimination in the Buffalo-Niagara housing market. An all-volunteer organization until 1974, today HOME - with a small professional staff- has nearly 400 dues-paying members throughout Western New York.
HOME’s mission is to promote the value of diversity and to assure the people of Western New York and equal opportunity to live in housing or communities of their choice. As the only agency in Western New York providing comprehensive services for victims of housing discrimination, HOME records and investigates reported incidents of discrimination, provides paralegal counseling, advocates to conciliate validated complaints or prepares cases for legal action, and offers emotional support for victims and their families.
During the decade 1996-2005 HOME recorded 2,395 reported incidents of housing discrimination; racial discrimination was involved in 38 percent of incidents, familial status in 29 percent and disability in nine percent.
In addition to aiding victims of discrimination, HOME:
- Conducts community education about fair housing in an effort to prevent discrimination;
- Provides technical assistance to government, service and housing providers;
- Compiles and maintains a fair housing database;
- Provides paralegal counseling for landlords and tenants to help resolve housing disputes;
- Offers housing and human service information and referral;
- Provides mobility counseling as a range of specialized home finder and support services through its operation of the Greater Buffalo Community Housing Center;
- Locates housing for families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
In 2010 alone HOME provided individual counseling and information services to 5,457 residents of Western New York. In addition, HOME conducted 205 educational presentations for 3,523 people and reached thousands more through publications and more than 71 media appearances.