Tagged With Fair Housing Lawsuit Over Its Section 8 Rent Subsidy Application Process, City Of Phoenix Agrees To Make Procedure Easier For Those With Disabilities &/Or Limited English Proficiency

From the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development:

• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) [] announced an agreement between the City of Phoenix, Arizona and two fair housing organizations resolving multiple complaints of housing discrimination.
  
  The Southwest Fair Housing Council (SFHC) and the Arizona Fair Housing Center (AFHC)(1) alleged Phoenix violated the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in its administration of the City's federally funded Housing Choice Voucher [Section 8 rent subsidy] program.
  
  Specifically, the organizations claimed the city did not make its online pre-application process accessible to persons with disabilities, provided vital documents in English only, and failed to notify applicants with limited English proficiency (LEP) that they could request language assistance. Read the agreement.
  
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  The case came to HUD's attention when SFHC and AFHC filed a complaint alleging the City of Phoenix engaged in discriminatory housing practices, including how the City's housing authority managed its HUD-supported Housing Choice Voucher program. According to the complaint, the program, which had not been open to new applications since 2005, was due to be opened for new applicants in early August, 2016. Shortly before the scheduled opening, the groups filed their complaint.
  
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  According to the agreement, after the complaint was filed, the city of Phoenix immediately adjusted its processes to ensure that they comply with civil rights laws. [...] Under the terms of the agreement, the city of Phoenix also will

• continue accepting both online and paper pre-applications for the Housing Choice Voucher program;

• continue providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities, including accepting pre-applications over the phone, providing one-on-one assistance to people with disabilities in completing their applications, and providing interpreter services to applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing;

• continue providing oral language assistance, including interpreter service, to LEP [limited English proficiency] persons who need assistance in the application process;

• continue ensuring staff are available during business hours to respond to reasonable accommodation and language assistance requests; continue to prominently display on its website the availability of language assistance and reasonable accommodations;

• post the particulars of the Conciliation/Voluntary Compliance Agreement on its website in English, Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Chinese; and

• obtain fair housing training for its staff.

For more, see HUD Approves Settlement Between City Of Phoenix And Fair Housing Organizations (Agreement resolves discrimination claims based on race, national origin and disability).

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(1) The Southwest Fair Housing Council (SFHC) and the Arizona Fair Housing Center (AFHC) are non-profit, tax-exempt fair housing organizations based in Tucson and Phoenix, respectively, and provide services throughout Arizona.