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| WA State FAIR HOUSING UPDATE: January 2004 |
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After Retaliation Charge Filed by Anita Smith, Tacoma Human Rights A landlord in the North end of Tacoma agreed to pay $7,000 to a disabled tenant after allegedly retaliating against her for filing a Fair Housing Complaint with Tacoma Human Rights and Human Services. In her initial complaint she alleged discrimination based on disability when the property management refused to allow her boyfriend to act as a caregiver without adding him to the lease. The Complainant stated that she did not want her boyfriend added to her lease because he had his own home and she wished to maintain hers in her name alone. After filing the initial complaint, the Complainant requested a two bedroom apartment so that her son could live with her. After making her request the manager allegedly informed her that she would not give her a two bedroom apartment unless she withdrew the complaint she filed. The manager also made remarks to the investigator that could be taken as retaliatory in nature. At the culmination of the investigation, the Respondents agreed to settle the case, paying the Complainant $7,000. Repondents also agreed to two years of quarterly monitoring, Fair Housing training for 50% of the office staff, posting Fair Housing posters, one in the manager's office and one in the laundry room. They also agreed to disseminate a Fair Housing/Disability Request packet to all occupied units and all new tenants for a period of one year, and other acts in the interest of the public. The Complainant expressed a great deal of gratitude to the agency stating that she had been discriminated against many times over the years due to her disability and she finally decided to do something about it. When her landlord tried to terminate her tenancy, in what she felt was retaliation, she said she doesn't know what she would've done if it had not been for the assistance of a Fair Housing Agency such as Tacoma Human Rights and Human Services to fight for her rights. KCOCR Fair Housing Home Page Your comments about this web site Updated: March 16, 2004 King County | DES | OCR | News | Services | Comments | Search Links to external sites do not constitute
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