Fair Housing Rights & Responsibilities for

Persons and with Disabilities:

A dialogue with Housing Providers, Service Providers and Fair Housing Advocates

Agenda:

INTRODUCTIONS 9:00 – 9:15 am

COHHIO (Spencer Wells)

Overview of City of Canton Fair Housing Program (Kyle Stone)

Community Legal Aid Services (Dawn Spriggs and Meredith Watts)

OVERVIEW OF APPLICABLE FAIR HOUSING LAWS 9:15 – 9:45 am

I. Basic Overview of the fair housing laws, including coverage and exemptions (Spencer Wells and Meredith Watts)

• FHA, Section 504, ADA
• FHA coverage and exemptions (MW)
• Section 504 coverage and exemptions (SW)

II. Overview of the 3 types of discrimination that particularly apply to the class of disability under the FHA (Dawn Spriggs)

• Denial of reasonable accommodation

• Denial of reasonable modification

• Obligation to address accessibility standards

III. Group Discussion

AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION 9:45 – 10:30 am

I. Fair Housing Rule of Thumb:  Be consistent in providing housing opportunities to all....Except when some says “because of my disability....” (Spencer Wells)

• Using the HUD-DOJ Joint Memoranda on RA and RM
  
  

II. Framing a reasonable accommodation or reasonable modification request (Meredith Watts)

• Defining what is considered a disability (and what is excluded)

• Overview of reasonable accommodation process

• Defining what constitutes a "nexus" between a proposed accommodation and a disability
  
  

III. Responding to a reasonable accommodation request (Dawn Spriggs)

• Documenting the disability

• Grounds for denial of RA/RM

• Engaging in the "interactive process"

IV. Group Discussion

10:30 – 10:40 Break

DEALING WITH DIFFICULT ISSUES UNDER THE FHA 10:40 – 11:40 am

I. Using the reasonable accommodation process to stop a lease termination (Meredith Watts and Dawn Spriggs)

• Alcohol/drug addiction as a disability

• Understanding the direct threat analysis

II. Live in Aides

(Meredith Watts)

IIII. Service v. Support Animals (Spencer Wells)

IV. Balancing needs and interests of persons with disabilities and neighbors and communities (Spencer Wells)

V. Harassment of complainants and advocates (Spencer Wells)

VI. Group Discussion

EMERGING ISSUES 11:40 am – 12:00 pm (Spencer Wells)

I. Addressing concerns:  signs of discrimination, capturing evidence, making referrals, filing complaints

II. Be (a)ware of Disparate impact  Why is it important?

III. LGBT protections in Federally Assisted Properties