FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2003 WWW.USDOJ.GOV CRT (202) 514-2008 TDD (202) 514-1888 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Justice Department today announced the settlement of a housing discrimination case against the Sacramento Redevelopment and Housing Agency.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, arose out of a complaint lodged by a veteran. The complainant alleged that the Sacramento Redevelopment and Housing Agency failed to make reasonable accommodations in its policies and practices to permit him to transfer rental assistance from one apartment to another that better accommodated his disabilities.
Federal law protects the rights of individuals with disabilities to enjoy access to accessible housing without discrimination on the basis of their disabilities, said R. Alexander Acosta, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. Consent decrees such as this further that goal. Under the consent decree, which needs to be approved by the court, the Sacramento Redevelopment and Housing Agency has agreed to process requests for reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Fair Housing Act, as well as ensure that employees who administer the Housing Choice Voucher Program receive training on how to comply with the law. The agency has also agreed to two years of monitoring by the Justice Department and pay compensatory damages to the victim.
In March 1998, the complainant rented an apartment through Sacramento Redevelopment and Housing Agencys Housing Choice Voucher Program. However, he discovered that the conditions of the apartment exacerbated his disabilities. Thereafter, he repeatedly sought the agencys assistance in transferring that assistance to another unit, which would better accommodate his disability. The lawsuit alleged that, despite knowing of the complainants disabilities and his repeated requests for help, the agency failed to make a reasonable accommodation that would have allowed him to vacate his apartment without jeopardizing his rental assistance benefits.
The complainant filed a fair housing complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After investigating the matter, HUD issued a charge of discrimination, and the Justice Department filed the lawsuit. The Civil Rights Division then negotiated the consent decree.
Anyone who believes that he or she has been discriminated against in housing should call the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division at 1-800-896-7743 or 202-514-3713, or contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777.
Additional information about the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section of the Justice Departments Criminal Division is available on the Justice Department website at
Source: US Department of Justice
