WASHINGTON – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today an agreement with the City of Flagstaff, Arizona, and the Flagstaff Housing Authority resolving allegations that they denied the reasonable accommodation requests of a resident with disabilities. Read the Voluntary Compliance Agreement.
The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing providers from denying or limiting housing to persons with disabilities, or from refusing to make reasonable accommodations in policies or practices for persons with disabilities.
“To residents with disabilities, certain accommodations can mean the difference between just having a roof over their head or being able to fully enjoy their home,” said Gustavo Velasquez, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “These types of settlements remind housing providers of their responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act and demonstrate HUD’s commitment to ensuring that they meet those responsibilities.”
The case came to HUD’s attention when a female resident filed a complaint alleging that the City of Flagstaff and the Flagstaff Housing Authority refused her request to be moved away from her neighbors, whose disruptive behavior agitated her medical disability. The woman alleged that even after she submitted a doctor’s documentation supporting her contention that her medical condition made her highly sensitive to the disruptions, her requests to move were denied.
Under the agreement, the housing authority will pay the woman $5,000, allow her to transfer to another unit within 90 days, and provide training to staff on the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Disability is the most common basis of complaint filed with HUD and its partner agencies. Last year alone, HUD and its state and local partners investigated more than 4,500 disability-related complaints, or nearly 55 percent of all fair housing complaints.
People who believe they have experienced discrimination may file a complaint by contacting HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777 (voice) or (800) 927-9275 (TTY). Housing discrimination complaints may also be filed by going to www.hud.gov/fairhousing, or by downloading HUD’s free housing discrimination mobile application, which can be accessed through Apple and Android devices.
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HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.
More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet
at www.hud.gov and http://espanol.hud.gov.
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Elena Gaona
(202) 708-0685
