Project Sentinel - About Us

Project Sentinel is a non-profit corporation. Its primary function is to assist individuals with housing problems such as discrimination, repairs, deposits, privacy, dispute resolution, and mortgage foreclosure. The agency was founded in 1971 by a group of leaders from the corporate, educational and labor communities, as well as community fair housing advocates. The agency has grown steadily since it was founded. It is now the largest such agency in Northern California serving an overall population of 3.5 million.

In addition to fair housing services, the agency's services now include tenant and landlord counseling, mediation of landlord tenant and other community disputes, HUD certified first-time homebuyer counseling and workshops, and mortgage default counseling. Project Sentinel handles more than 10,000 initial contacts annually. It handles over 600 housing discrimination complaints, opens over 1700 landlord tenant and community dispute resolution cases, and counsels more than 300 homeowners each year.

The agency also provides support to cities and counties in developing their "Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing," and a wide array of technical assistance to property management professionals/owners and local municipalities. We publish the semi-weekly newspaper column, Rent Watch, in major California newspapers and operate a Housing Hotline, (888)FAIRHOUsing.

Project Sentinel has offices located in Fremont, Gilroy, Menlo Park, Modesto, Palo Alto, San Jose, Sunnyvale . Project Sentinel's work has been featured on both television and radio; our staff is regularly called upon by the larger local newspapers as a resource for information on housing issues. Those needing assistance can phone, fax, email or visit an agency office.

Goal

Project Sentinel strives towards enhancing opportunities for housing, by fostering cooperative relations between tenants and landlords, preventing conflicts which may arise from rental housing situations, and by empowering both tenants and landlords to resolve their own problems by working together towards resolution of conflicts outside the court system. Project Sentinel ensures that fair housing laws are being applied throughout the housing industry, and provides education and training where appropriate.