Founded in 1982 as a program of the Marin Housing Center (now known as Homeward Bound), Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California became an independent nonprofit dedicated to equal housing opportunity in 1984. 

They are currently the only full service fair housing agency in Marin County and the only housing counseling agency in Marin County certified by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  They provide varying levels of fair housing services and mortgage foreclosure prevention services as well as advisory and training services in Marin, Sonoma, Solano, and other counties. The services to clients are available at no charge in English and Spanish.

Fair Housing Advocates has received national honors twice from HUD: for the first national investigation on racial discrimination in Residential Care Facilities for the elderly, and as a recipient of HUD's National Housing Pioneer Award. They maintain active membership in the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) headquartered in Washington, D.C.