Good morning, everybody!!!
Today’s blog post is about housing. Not just any housing though, housing that is accessible and complies with ADA standards, as well as the discrimination that most people with disabilities face when trying to find a house or apartment. This comes right on time as I know many of us have gone through this or will be starting the process really soon.
We must know our rights!
According, to the National Fair Housing Alliance in 2016 of the 28,181 complaints of housing discrimination documented in 2016, 55 percent were based on disability. The NFHA analyzes government data and information collected by private, nonprofit fair housing groups. Disability discrimination complaints were reported at more than double the rate of those based on race, familial status, sex, or any other protected class. The report stated, that this may have been because disability discrimination is more easily detected than others.
The president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, Shanna Smith says advances have been made in opening up neighborhoods to everyone; however, people of color, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups continue to be unlawfully shut out of many neighborhoods that provide quality schools and health care, fresh food, employment opportunities, quality and affordable credit, small business investment and other opportunities that affect life outcomes. Even many newly constructed apartments do not meet accessibility requirements, and a substantial number of landlords have been known to refuse reasonable modifications or accommodations. I personally have experienced this looking for places when moving especially in apartments. When renting homes they can be a little more flexible, and willing to accommodate. Overall, it needs a substantial amount of work. So, if you come across housing or any type of discrimination please report it. We need to stand up for injustice, if we don’t who will?
To learn more about our housing rights check out https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/FHLaws/yourrights
For more on last year’s housing trends check out http://nationalfairhousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/TRENDS-REPORT-4-19-17-FINAL-2.pdf
