Across the United States, millions of veterans live with disabilities that are both visible and invisible, with many disabilities being acquired as a result of their military service.
Some of these disabilities include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries, mobility impairments, or chronic illnesses. These conditions often make traditional housing situations difficult. For these men and women, a safe, accessible, and stable home is a critical part of healing, reclaiming independence, and building a stable, productive civilian life after service. Group homes, supportive living environments, or specially modified residences may be necessary for daily functioning and community integration. Unfortunately, veterans with disabilities sometimes face discrimination, misunderstanding, or are affected by zoning restrictions that make it difficult to secure or maintain accessible or supportive housing. Fair housing protections play a vital role in safeguarding the dignity and rights of veterans with disabilities.
An inspiring example of the kind of supportive housing that assists veterans with disabilities to reintegrate into civilian life is a local group home established by a military veteran who overcame significant personal challenges to create a safe haven for others. Located in a peaceful community, the home offers supportive housing for veterans with both physical and psychological disabilities. This home isn’t just about providing a roof over their heads. It is a space built with compassion and intention. Veterans have access to on-site peer support, mental health resources, and living arrangements that meet their unique needs. The group home offers support, camaraderie, help with goal setting, assistance with finding employment, and requires participation in programs or activities that encourage healthy living choices.
Creating such a space wouldn’t be possible without fair housing protections. Local resistance, often based on stereotypes or fear, can threaten group homes. Zoning laws may be manipulated to exclude people with disabilities under the guise of “protecting neighborhood character.” Fortunately, under the Fair Housing Act, group homes cannot be treated differently than traditional families simply because of who lives there or their disabilities. The Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania (HECP) offers training and technical assistance to local governments to ensure fair housing compliance in all zoning and permitting decisions as well as guidance and assistance to those trying to establish group homes for individuals with disabilities.
To ensure that veterans with disabilities can fully use and enjoy their homes, landlords or other housing providers are obligated to allow reasonable accommodations to their rules, policies, practices or procedures if there is a direct disability related need. HECP has assisted veterans with disabilities with requesting various reasonable accommodations, such as having an emotional support animal despite a ‘no pets’ policy, adjusting rent due dates to align with disability related income payments, and for reserved parking spaces near the entrances of their homes due to mobility impairments resulting from service-related injuries.
Veterans with disabilities may also need reasonable modifications due to service-related injuries or aging. HECP assists veterans with requesting permission to install grab bars, widening doorways for wheelchair access, adding ramps or stair lifts and any other reasonable modification which might be essential to having an equal opportunity to use and enjoy their dwelling. Unless the veteran tenant is living in federally funded housing, the tenant is responsible for the cost of the modifications. HECP connects veterans with non-profit organizations that can assist with the expense of reasonable modifications, enabling veterans to stay safely in their own homes.
HECP provided critical intervention to protect a veteran from losing all of her belongings and assisted her in asserting her fair housing rights. Despite having a valid lease and being current on her rental payments, a landlord illegally locked the veteran out of her rental unit while she was receiving inpatient treatment for a disability. This self-help eviction not only violated Pennsylvania Landlord Tenant Law it also violated the Fair Housing Act because the landlord did not want a person with a mental health disability living on his property. HECP negotiated the return of her belongings which included her cherished service uniform and service medals, family heirlooms and treasured artwork and items she had collected over the years during her U.S. military career. HECP assisted the veteran in moving her belongings to a storage locker and obtaining an attorney who helped her to successfully argue her case in court.
HECP also assisted a veteran to avoid homelessness after he had received a 30-day eviction notice. This veteran had experienced a PTSD episode being triggered by loud noises made by a neighbor in a dispute. The veteran, undergoing a mental health crisis, then engaged in disorderly conduct and was issued as summary citation by the police. This incident led the landlord into issuing a 30-day notice to move out of the rental unit. The veteran had no resources or money saved to move and would have most likely have become homeless. HECP assisted with connecting the veteran to mental health services and in requesting a reasonable accommodation which ultimately gave the veteran sufficient time to find new housing and avoiding homelessness.
Fair housing is about ensuring every veteran has the chance to live with dignity and honors their sacrifice by supporting their journey after service to our country. After all that our veterans have given to our nation, it is an honor and a privilege to protect their fair housing rights.
If you are a veteran who believes that you have been the victim of housing discrimination, you can contact HECP. HECP can discuss options for enforcement of your rights and in some cases, we may be able to conduct an investigation to see if housing discrimination is occurring and to help provide additional evidence proving your case. For more information about what to do if you think you have experienced housing discrimination click here. To report housing discrimination, click here.
