January 17, 2013

Community Legal Aid Settles Familial Status Discrimination Case

WORCESTER – Community Legal Aid resolved a lawsuit filed on behalf of a single mother who was unlawfully denied an apartment. The complaint, which was filed at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, alleged that a local landlord refused to rent to plaintiff Shaunalee Reyes because she had two children.

Ms Reyes had been living with her young sons in a family homeless shelter. Since moving into the shelter, Ms. Reyes had been actively looking for an apartment for her family. She earned enough from her job to afford the monthly rent, but could not afford moving costs, including money for first or last month’s rent, and a security deposit. The shelter had a program that would help her with those expenses.

During Ms. Reyes’ housing search, the shelter warned her that the program was running out of funds. Soon after, Ms. Reyes found a listing in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette that would suit her needs, and was affordable for her family. When she called about the listing and disclosed that she had two children, the landlords refused to rent the apartment to her.

Ms. Reyes contacted the Worcester Fair Housing Project of Community Legal Aid. An investigation conducted by Community Legal Aid corroborated Ms. Reyes’ allegations.

Ms. Reyes was forced to remain in the shelter for many more months, as she could not secure the funds to move.

In settlement, the landlords agreed to pay $20,000 for Ms. Reyes’ damages and attorneys’ fees. The landlords also agreed to undergo fair housing training and change their rental practices.

“In this economy, there are very few resources to assist low-income working families,” commented Community Legal Aid attorney Jane Edmonstone. “It is disappointing that when these families are finally able to access services, their search for stable housing is blocked by discrimination.”