Valleybrook group to pay $31k in disabled complaint

The Village of Valleybrook Homeowners Association will pay more than $31,000 to settle claims that it violated disability provisions of the federal Fair Housing Act by failing to install handicapped parking spaces for four residents, according to a release from the Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania.

“A housing provider’s refusal to allow reasonable accommodations can have a significant effect on the lives of people with disabilities,” said HECP Executive Director Rachel Wentworth in the release. “The denial of an individual’s rights to a reserved handicapped parking space can result in increased day-to-day physical pain and worsening of the symptoms of their disabilities as they are forced to walk longer distances. A reserved parking space is a relatively simple accommodation to provide and courts have established that it is the housing provider’s responsibility to bear the cost of installing a reserved parking space as a reasonable accommodation.”

Attorneys representing the association did not return a call for comment and the association president did not respond to an email.

Wentworth said HECP received complaints from four individuals living at Valleybrook between August 2017 and February 2018, all of whom had requested reserved spaces near their homes to accommodate disabilities that inhibit walking long distances.

The residents were allegedly told that reserved spaces were not permitted and that they would have to pay for any costs associated with unreserved handicapped spaces themselves.

When attempts to educate the association about its responsibilities under the FHA and amicably resolve the matter failed, the release says, HECP assisted the four residents in filing complaints with the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

The Chester Heights community has admitted no wrongdoing, but did sign a conciliation agreement resolving the housing discrimination complaints with a $31,243 payment to the four residents and HECP to cover a portion of the costs of litigating the matter, according to the release. Wentworth said the parking spaces residents sought were also provided under the agreement.

One of the complainants, who asked to remain anonymous, urged others in similar situations to stand up for their rights in the release.

“Fair housing and disability rights are important tenets of our society and they must be respected and upheld,” the resident said. “You deserve what the law entitles you to and no entity, no one person, is above the law. Keep fighting, it is worth it in the end for yourself and for those that would follow in your footsteps but are reluctant to do so for fear of reprisal or stigma.”