Recent HUD Enforcement Activities on behalf of People with Disabilities

HUD recently announced several enforcement activities related to discrimination against people with disabilities.

• HUD and City of Los Angeles Reach Landmark Settlement Resolving Disability Discrimination and Lack of Affordable Housing (8/2019)

The Agreement anticipates the development of 10,000 units of new affordable housing over a 10-year period, including 1,500 accessible units for individuals with disabilities. The City also committed to retrofit 3,100 accessible housing units that were not constructed to federal accessibility standards.

The Voluntary Compliance Agreement resolves longstanding HUD findings of noncompliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Agreement will allow HUD to continue funding the City’s initiatives under the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships program.

Read the Voluntary Compliance Agreement here.

• HUD Settles Claim of Disability Discrimination by Condominium Association (7/2019)

A condominium association has agreed to pay $30,000 pursuant to a Consent Order resolving allegations that they discriminated against a resident with disabilities by preventing her from having an assistance animal. HUD issued the Charge of Discrimination in 2018, which alleged that the Association violated the Fair Housing Act by requiring the resident, who is a person with hearing and sight disabilities, to cage her dog in common areas and use the service entrance when entering and exiting the building with the animal.

Read the Initial Decision and Consent Decree here.

• HUD Charges Apartment Owner with Discriminating Against Veteran (7/2019)

HUD charged an apartment owner with discrimination for denying an assistance animal to a veteran with disabilities. The veteran had filed an administrative fair housing complaint with HUD alleging that he was denied an apartment because he uses an assistance animal.

Pine Tree Legal Services conducted fair housing testing, which confirmed in a recorded telephone conversation of the apartment’s policy of refusing to rent to persons with assistance animals. In one test, the agent allegedly told the tester that having the animal would be grounds for eviction.

Read the Charge of Discrimination here.