The Delaware DOJ’s Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust announced two fair housing settlements awarding a total of $50,000 to two victims last week.
In December, the Division reached a settlement with the Wilmington-area Chateau Orleans Apartments after a former tenant filed a complaint alleging the apartment’s management effectively evicted her by failing to repair an elevator that served as her only access to her second-floor unit. The tenant, who uses a wheelchair and a walker, was forced to find alternative housing after the elevator went unrepaired for four months.
The Division settled with Chateau Orleans Apartments for $30,000 and required it to revise its fair housing accommodations policies.
A second recent agreement requires a Newark-area apartment complex called the Vinings at Christiana to remit $20,000 to a woman who, along with her three children, was left homeless after the complex’s management turned her away for insufficient income despite her state rental assistance voucher.
In that no-fault settlement, the Vinings at Christiana also agreed to update its fair housing training and advertising.
Delaware’s Human and Civil Rights Commission also notes an uptick in fair housing complaints, including complaints involving motels serving as ad hoc temporary housing.
