Project Sentinel workshop outlines landlord obligations on familial status, disability accommodations and Section 8 protections

Elizabeth Sanchez, fair housing director at Project Sentinel, led a recorded workshop giving housing providers an overview of federal and California fair-housing protections and practical steps landlords should take when tenants request accommodations.

Sanchez opened by framing the subject: "fair housing is good business," and said Project Sentinel is a private nonprofit headquartered in Santa Clara that investigates discrimination complaints, conducts testing and provides landlord-tenant counseling across seven Northern California counties.

Sanchez described the core legal standard: actionable housing discrimination requires differential treatment tied to a protected characteristic under federal or state law, not merely a general dislike. She listed federal protected classes (including race, color, religion, national origin, disability and familial status) and additional California protections under the Fair Employment and Housing Act, such as source of income, gender identity and primary language. On familial status, she cited the 1988 Fair Housing Amendments Act and HUD's commonly used "2 plus 1"…