Protecting your rights
It's not Justice if it's not Equal
The mission of the Washington State Human Rights Commission is to prevent and eliminate discrimination through the fair application of the law, the efficient use of resources, and the establishment of productive partnerships in the community.
Under the law, everyone has the right to be free from discrimination at work, in housing, in a public accommodation, or when seeking credit and insurance. Any individual who believes that he or she has been discriminated against based on protected class status may file a charge of discrimination with the WSHRC.
A discrimination charge in employment, public accommodation, credit and insurance must be filed with WSHRC within six months, from the date of the alleged violation, in order to protect your rights. A discrimination charge in housing must be filed with the WSHRC within one year from the date of the alleged violation.
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WSHRC Guidance on COVID-19 and Non-discrimination Laws
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Washington State Human Rights Commission will be closed to the public until further notice. You can still access some services by using our online forms and emailing them directly to frontdesk@hum.wa.gov, or by calling our office at 1-800-233-3247 during regular business hours. Please note: Normal turnaround times will be significantly delayed in processing the mail we receive. If your matter is time sensitive, please call our office immediately.
Debido al crisis del COVID-19, la Comisión estará cerrado al público temporalmente . Toda vía puede acceder algunos servicios utilizando nuestros formularios que se encuentran en nuestro sitio de web, y enviarlos por correo electrónico al frontdesk@hum.wa.gov. También puede llamar nuestra oficina al 1-800-233-3247. Por favor tome en cuenta que puede durar más tiempo en el procesamiento del correo que recibimos. Si su asunto es urgente, llame a nuestra oficina de inmediato.
April is Fair Housing Month 2023
April is Fair Housing Month because, on April 11, 1968, President Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act of 1968 after months of ideological gridlock. The legislative breakthrough came only when, on April 4th of that year, the Act's champion, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was murdered in Memphis.
The mission of the WSHRC is to eliminate and prevent discrimination in the Washington State through the fair application of the law, efficient use of resources, and establishment of productive partnerships in the community.
Washington State Human Rights Commission (WSHRC) partners with the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) to eliminate housing discrimination, promote economic opportunity, and achieve diverse, inclusive communities by leading the nation in the enforcement, administration, development, and public understanding of federal fair housing policies and laws.
WSHRC and HUD FHEO’s partnership activities include investigating fair housing complaints and managing fair housing grants.
There are also fair housing organizations and other non-profits that receive funding from HUD through the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) and partner with WSHRC. FHIPs assist people who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination. FHIP organizations partner with HUD and WSHRC to help people identify government agencies that handle complaints of housing discrimination. They also conduct preliminary investigation of claims, including sending "testers" to properties suspected of practicing housing discrimination.
The goal of these partnerships is to affirmatively further fair housing.
Please visit the virtual events listed below to learn more about fair housing during fair housing month.
HUD.gov: Fair Housing MonthNo front page content has been created yet.
