The SHRA Ombudsman Program provides an impartial intermediary to help resolve complaints or disputes involving the Agency’s Conventional Public Housing Program reported by housing program participants, community members, business owners, or other individuals or organizations.

Process

A problem has a greater chance of being resolved if the complainant is willing to be part of the solution.

The Ombudsman should be contacted after all other attempts to resolve a complaint or dispute have failed.

Before contacting the Ombudsman, the complainant should follow a series of steps to try to achieve resolution. Responses received at each step should be documented in detail to better assist the Ombudsman in conducting a thorough review of the complaint.

Getting Started

If you are not receiving rent assistance in the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV/formerly Section) or the Conventional Public Housing Program, or if you do not live in rental housing that is monitored by SHRA, please click here for a list of resources that may be able to assist you in resolving your housing issue.

Step 1

If your complaint involves a neighbor, you should first try to work out the issue between yourselves.

If you are not successful resolving a neighbor to neighbor dispute on your own, or if your complaint involves an employee, procedure, or policy, report your complaint by completing the Tenant-Management Communication form (TMC) and return it to the Housing Technician at the housing community office.

Community members, business owners, organizations or other individuals should also contact the Housing Technician to report a complaint.

Step 2

If the Housing Technician is not able to resolve your complaint or is non-responsive, contact the housing community’s Site Manager.

Step 3

If you are not satisfied with the Site Manager’s response, contact the Regional Manager.

After you have exhausted these options for resolving your complaint without success, contact the Ombudsman’s Office at (916) 449-1299 to leave a voicemail.

Response from the Ombudsman

The Ombudsman will provide an initial response to complaints, which will be followed by a response from either Housing Authority staff or the Ombudsman.

All complaints will be addressed through an unbiased process of gathering information from all parties related to the matter, reviewing applicable Agency policies, procedures and practices, making appropriate findings, and/or providing helpful referrals or recommendations, if appropriate.

The complaint resolution process will be administered with fairness, patience, courtesy, dignity, and respect to all involved parties.
Due to laws that protect confidentiality and privacy, the findings or decisions involving any individual who was the subject of a complaint will not be disclosed to the complainant.

The Ombudsman’s report of findings is the Agency’s final step in the complaint resolution process and may not yield a satisfactory or different response for the complainant.

Authority of the Ombudsman

The Ombudsman is able to intervene at all levels of the Agency to try to resolve complaints.

The Ombudsman will ensure that the complaint resolution process is administered with fairness, patience, courtesy, dignity, and respect to all involved parties.

The Ombudsman cannot respond to matters involving lawsuits or appeals that are pending against the Agency.

The Ombudsman may make referrals for legal or advocacy resources if appropriate, but cannot give legal advice.

The Ombudsman cannot make any recommendations to the court or to overturn a court decision.

The Ombudsman’s report of findings is the Agency’s final step in the process.

Contact the Ombudsman

Never provide your personal information such as your social security number or date of birth to anyone unless you are communicating with someone you know is an SHRA staff person. Do not provide this information in a voicemail message, cell phone text, or social media post.

To send an email to the Ombudsman for help with a problem regarding the Sacramento Housing Authority’s Public Housing Program, click here.

Other Housing Complaint Resources

If you are not participating in a rental assistance program through the Housing Authority (Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 or Public Housing), or if you do not live in a housing community that is regulated by SHRA, you may wish to contact the following resources that may be able to assist you with your fair housing concerns.

Tenant-landlord conflict/dispute

Tenants Together (Renters and Renters’ Rights)
1-888-495-8020

Renters Helpline
(916) 389-7877

Rental Housing Association (Member resources for property owners)
191 Lathrop Way, Suite A
Sacramento, CA 94815
(916) 920-1120

Tenant-landlord fair housing mediation

Sacramento 2-1-1
Dial 2-1-1 or (916) 498-1000

Fair housing complaints

California Department of Fair Employment and Housing
1 (800) 884-1684

Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
600 Harrison Street, Third Floor
San Francisco, CA 94107
Voice:  (800)669-9777
TTY:   (800)927-9275

Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC)
Sacramento Office (serving Sacramento County)
515 – 12th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Voice: (916) 551-2150
Fax: (916) 551-2196

Sacramento 2-1-1
Dial 2-1-1

Disability Rights of California
1831 K Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 504-5800

Carol Miller Justice Center
300 Bicentennial Circle
Sacramento, CA  95826
www.saccourt.ca.gov

Disability Rights of California
1831 K Street
Sacramento, CA  95811
(916) 504-5800

Sacramento County Public Law Library
Civil Self-Help Center
609 9th Street
Sacramento, CA  95814
(916) 874-6011

Sacramento County Bar Referral Service
30 minute consultation for $50
(916) 564-6707

Sacramento Mediation Center
(mediation on a sliding scale)
2015 J Street, Suite 204
Sacramento, CA  95811
(916) 442-6210
(916) 441-7979

Carol Miller Justice Center, Suite 330, 3rd Floor
301 Bicentennial Circle
Sacramento, CA 95826
Small Claims Unit
(916) 875 – 7514

Small Claims Advisors
(916) 875 – 7846

Small Claims Call Center
(916) 875-7846

Tenants Together

(Foreclosure & Tenant Rights)
1-888-495-8020

Unlawful Detainer Advisory Clinic
Carol Miller Justice Center, Suite 320, 3rd Floor
8:30am – 4:00pm
(916) 875-7746

Voluntary Legal Services Program (VLSP)
(916) 551-2102
517 12th Street
Sacramento, CA  95814