Recent Court Rulings
March 18, 2013
Facts: A resident filed a complaint with the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights (DCR) against the owner for housing discrimination based on her race and her disabilities. She claimed that the management company treated her differently in the way it calculated a one-time subsidy for utility...
Recent Court Rulings
March 18, 2013
Facts: A local housing authority denied a granddaughter’s request to succeed as a remaining family member to the unit formerly leased to her deceased grandmother. She’s 29 years old and claimed to have moved into her grandmother’s unit when she was 3 years old. She also claimed to...
Recent Court Rulings
March 18, 2013
Facts: A former employee sued the housing authority to recover unpaid wages and benefits allegedly owed to him under the Davis-Bacon Act. This federal law establishes the requirement for paying the local prevailing wages on public works projects. It applies to “contractors and subcontractors...
The Trainer
March 18, 2013
AVOIDING MAINTENANCE-RELATED DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS; COMPLYING WITH VAWA
In this month’s feature, we discussed how to prevent maintenance staff from triggering fair housing claims. Sites may face allegations of discriminatory maintenance policies or procedures, or accusations of sexual...
Feature
February 15, 2013
The issue of mold cleanup has been on the forefront of state and federal officials’ minds as the Northeast continues to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy. Mold spores can aggravate existing respiratory problems, particularly asthma—and there was an alarming increase in asthma cases after...
Dos & Don'ts
February 15, 2013
Many assisted sites would like to hire a social service coordinator but don’t know where to get the money to pay the coordinator’s salary. With government grants very limited, it’s important to know what other sources you can tap to get the funding you need. And to get this...
In the News
February 15, 2013
On Feb. 4, 2012, HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing issued a notice (Notice PIH 2013-06) intended to provide public housing authorities with information on the dangers of radon.
Recent Court Rulings
February 15, 2013
Facts: A resident sued the owner, manager, and security guard for allegedly violating her rights under the Fair Housing Act. One morning, the site’s security guard detained three young boys who had placed traffic cones in the street and told them to sit on the curb while he contacted their...
Recent Court Rulings
February 15, 2013
Facts: A former resident sued the local housing authority for allegedly violating her due process rights when it terminated her Section 8 assistance after an informal hearing. The hearing officer found that the resident’s husband had been living as an unauthorized occupant in her unit while...
Recent Court Rulings
February 15, 2013
Facts: Following neighbors’ complaints to management and after receiving at least one letter titled “Disturbing the Peaceful Enjoyment,” a resident received a notice to vacate her unit. The management cited her unit as a meeting place for narcotics dealers and pointed to the sale...
