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Resident Tillman, who is
approaching her 60th birthday, suffers from
multiple sclerosis, and bought her unit “thinking about my
future,” she said. However, when she moved in, she found a
step at her front door that prevents her from entering and
exiting from the main entrance and she has injured herself
bumping into objects in her bathroom because the area was
designed without sufficient space to be navigated by a
person with a disability.
A tour of Tillman’s home
conducted by Rodriguez of The Fair Housing Center pointed
out a number of deficiencies that would affect the disabled
and are violations of the Fair Housing Act such as: an
inaccessible pantry, a thermostat placed in too high a
position, an inaccessible garage, inaccessible stove and
microwave placements, among other conditions.
“After moving in, I asked
the builder many times to make changes, but I was told ‘you
bought it this way,’” said Tillman. “The bottom line is that
I really did buy this place thinking ahead of what was the
future for me.”
Tillman’s difficulties are
part of a larger problem, noted Thomas. “[The residents]
were promised accessible housing that will enable them to
age in place,” she said. “Now they are in homes with
inaccessible kitchens, inaccessible bathrooms, inaccessible
entrances.”
The Fair Housing Center
had voiced its concerns about the inaccessibility of the
units at Brooklyn Park Villas two years ago and tried to
establish “a cooperative relationship with Moline Builders,”
said Michael Marsh, director of the Center. “He ignored us.
The fact that the builders knew about the problem and did
nothing to resolve it or prevent it from happening again
shows their reckless disregard for creating truly inclusive
housing that is accessible to all. They could have prevented
all that disaster and that is a violation of people’s
rights.”
Marsh noted that in recent
years, as baby boomers age, the number of complaints of
violations against the Fair Housing Act by the disabled had
overtaken the number of violations based upon racial
discrimination.
“This is an egregious
violation of the Fair Housing Act,” Marsh added. “How dare
you do that to these people. Take their money and promise
them something and don’t deliver.”
When reached for comment,
James Moline told The Truth he had been advised not to
comment.
Plaintiffs are demanding a
trial by jury, compensatory damages for injuries and losses
resulting from discriminatory practice and punitive damages
against the defendants for malicious and recklessly
indifferent conduct and to deter similar conduct in the
future. |
