Mission
Family Housing Advisory Services’ mission is to improve housing opportunities and eliminate poverty.
Family Housing Advisory Services (FHAS) is committed to improving housing opportunities and eliminating poverty through financial empowerment, homelessness prevention, homeownership education, fair housing advocacy, free tax preparation, and community well-being.
Purpose
Our purpose is to advance the prosperity of the community by educating and empowering people to obtain, maintain and retain housing, and reach financial security.
Vision
Our vision is to be the area’s premier comprehensive housing counseling agency, providing services with integrity and care:
- Preventing homelessness
- Educating Homeowners
- Providing foreclosure prevention options
- Developing financially wise consumers
- Reducing poverty
The Five Pillars of FHAS
These five pillars identify the habits, attitudes and practices that demonstrate excellence in FHAS’ organizational culture, performance and business lifestyle.
-
Economic Advancement
We provide opportunities for people to improve their economic wellbeing through our homelessness prevention, financial classes & coaching, homeownership, access to earned income credits, matched savings, fair housing assistance for housing discrimination, and affordable mortgage financing.
-
Client Empowerment
We educate our clients so that they are able to find hope and realize their greater potential to make informed decisions, elevating our clients to higher levels of success than they might have dreamed possible.
-
Organizational Excellence
We give our best. Period. Whether in programming, organizational administration, financial stewardship, or any other aspect of FHAS, our goal is ALWAYS excellence.
-
Innovative Solutions
Our programs evolve because our employees keep an eye out and a heart open to understand and respond to the needs of our community.
-
Creative Collaboration
To maximize our results, we work with other programs and services, internally and externally, to make the greatest difference for our clients and bring about the best possible community impact.
History
Family Housing Advisory Services, Inc. (FHAS) was chartered as a nonprofit corporation by the State of Nebraska in 1968 as the Urban League Housing Foundation, Inc. FHAS was founded to improve opportunities for low-income families to purchase homes in Omaha. In 1971, FHAS began a housing purchase and rehabilitation program as well as social services to assist low- income purchasers to achieve and sustain homeownership, and to stabilize neighborhoods.
During this time, the Urban League Housing Foundation, Inc. became the Urban Housing Foundation, Inc.
The experience of conducting a rehabilitation program for low-income purchasers rapidly illustrated the parallel need to “rehabilitate” the families as well, since the socioeconomic problems many face do not end with the purchase of a new home. FHAS became certified as a Comprehensive Housing Counseling Agency by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in April 1970 and began offering potential low and middle-income purchasers consumer information and assistance with home management, maintenance, and budget and debt management following occupancy of their new home.
In early 1973, FHAS phased out its rehabilitation program, having rehabilitated and sold units with a total market value of approximately $1,711,000. FHAS continued to provide the only Housing Consumer Education and Information Program in Omaha for low to middle-income families for decades.
In 1991, Urban Housing Foundation, Inc., became Family Housing Advisory Services, Inc., and the 1990’s provided for significant growth and expansion for FHAS services. Between 1992 and 1994 the Metro Mediation Center, Project Jericho Mobility Program, and Fair Housing Center were developed by FHAS. These three programs, in addition to the original Home Search and Homeownership Programs, accomplished FHAS’ mission of helping people secure and maintain decent, safe, and affordable housing and strengthening our community through education, counseling, dispute resolution and advocacy.
Family Housing Advisory Services, Inc. increased outreach in South Omaha in 1996 through a satellite office staffed with a bilingual counselor and through a branch office in Council Bluffs. In 2001, we added South Omaha Affordable Housing development program (which we no longer operate), and Omaha 100 Mortgage lending program (which we no longer operate). Omaha 100 has expanded into Council Bluffs, IA and is known as Metro 100. We also added Financial/Asset Management to preserve the home as an asset and build financially wise consumers. In 2009, we added the Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition, the largest poverty-reduction program in the United States, as a program of FHAS.
As we look ahead, we renew our commitment to the metro area community, the Cities of Omaha and Council Bluffs, and all those we serve.
