Some Central New Yorkers with disabilities have been getting discriminated against when they look for a place to live. Recently, a two year-old case was finalized when a judge sided with CNY Fair Housing. A judge agreed that a caseworker was illegally asked by a rental property owner if her client had a disability.
Once the property owner found out the client was disabled, Executive Director Sally Santangelo says the case-worker was told the housing was no longer available.
"The housing provider then indicated they would not provide housing for her client, including a statement saying, 'we don't need to rent to crazy people'."
Bob and Susan Weichert were handed a $16,000 judgment in damages and fines. Santangelo says it can be difficult for people with disabilities to find housing in CNY. Only apartments built after 1994 are required to have accessibility features. CNY Fair Housing investigates about 200 similar cases each year. Santangelo says more than 60 percent of complaints come from people with disabilities, the number one source of housing discrimination.
"Sometimes that's a denial of housing, like this case," Santangelo said. "Sometimes it's harassment that a person with a disability might face. We do a lot of advocacy for people who need reasonable accommodations or modifications because of their disability. They might need a grab bar installed to help them use their bathroom easier. They might need a railing put in and the housing provider resists that."
Others may need a service animal, such as a Seeing Eye dog or therapeutic animal. Since these are not considered pets, a housing provider can’t deny somebody housing because of a service animal. Santangelo says thee cases have a silver lining. She suspects Weichert might appeal this latest judgment against him, as he has many times over the past several years. But she hopes the case will shed some light on the larger problem.
"We do hear a lot of cases, still, of race discrimination, discrimination against families with children," Santangelo said. "Often times the discrimination in the cases we see is very subtle. It's not often that a housing provider will outright deny a person housing. Usually they don't call the person back. The unit is no longer available. Messages go unreturned when the housing provider can identify the person's race or disability or ethnicity."
April is Fair Housing month and marks the 48th anniversary of the signing of the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. CNY Fair Housing is marking its 25th anniversary this year.
