The Office of Fair Housing & Consumer Affairs (FHCA) contributes to the overall mission of improving quality of life in the City of Cleveland through education and mediation for consumers in order to resolve consumer-related complaints. FHCA enforces Cleveland’s 1972 Consumer Protection Code, 1976 Fair Housing Code, and its 1994 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Program. The office works with public and private consumer complaint agencies and prosecutes code violators. It promotes legal consciousness and an atmosphere of market fairness in consumer, housing, and banking matters.
Fair Housing Board
The Fair Housing Board was formed to ensure that Clevelanders receive fair and equal treatment in relation to housing. Housing discrimination can be due to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, ethnic group, Vietnam-era or disabled veteran status, familial status, marital status or ancestry. In addition, the Fair Housing Board promotes the principles of the City of Cleveland's Diversity Statement.
Consumer Affairs
Consumer Affairs educates the public regarding scams and fraudulent business practices. It works with the media, holds public neighborhood forums, and works cooperatively with private and governmental consumer agencies. It interacts with various levels of government to impact key consumer issues, ranging from Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) rate matters to banking practices. This office may subpoena witnesses and hold hearings to determine whether a vendor has engaged in unfair practices with a Cleveland consumer. Along with field work, this may result in prosecution.
