National Housing Law Project

The National Housing Law Project’s mission is to advance housing justice for poor people and communities. We achieve this by strengthening and enforcing the rights of tenants and low-income homeowners, increasing housing opportunities for underserved communities, and preserving and expanding the nation’s supply of safe and affordable homes.

NHLP was founded in 1968 as part of the War on Poverty to serve as a support center for the newly created legal services agencies and to bolster their capacity on housing law. NHLP works at the crossroads of housing and community development advocacy, legal services for the poor, and civil rights. We carry the everyday experiences of the housing programs’ beneficiaries through these networks. Our work is grounded in the realities that shape poor people’s housing choices. Towards that end, we bring the grassroots perspective of our national network into the policy conversation.

We believe in the fundamental right to housing and strive to expand access to housing and to preserve the rights of low-income tenants. Housing security is an essential component of racial and civil equality and a critical foundation for education, health, employment, social engagement, and opportunity. We provide communities and their advocates with the tools they need to advance those rights.

To learn more about NHLP please visit our Initiatives page or What We Do.