| Housing Opportunities Made
Equal (HOME) has recently settled a second discrimination case against
Washington Square Apartments, located on McKinley parkway in Blasdell, and
its owner, Mr. Victor Libertore.
The first case occurred in 1998. HOME received a call from a White woman
with an African-American boyfriend and two children who alleged that when
she inquired about the Hamburg complex, she was asked if her boyfriend
would be living with her. When she said he would be, she was refused
rental. She stated that she was also told that no first floor apartments
would be open to her because they were in buildings with seniors and they
(Washington Square) tried to keep children in separate buildings from
seniors.
HOME investigated the client's
allegations and found reason to believe that discrimination based on race
did occur. Testing also indicated that that Washington Square segregated
families with children. HOME then filed a federal lawsuit with its client
against Mr. Libertore and Washington Square Apartments. Mr. Libertore
settled by paying $2,250 and agreeing to a number of affirmative actions.
HOME continued to monitor the Washington
Square apartments and, in August of 2000, found evidence that suggested t
hat Washington Square Apartments continued to discriminate against
families with children in violation of the original settlement agreement.
According to a sworn statement made by a HOME tester, one of the rental
agents told her that she tried to "weed out the children" from one of
their buildings.
Again HOME filed a complaint against the
complex. Mr. Liberatore, who did not admit any wrongdoing, agreed to
settle the case, this time for $3,000. Once again, Washington Square has
agreed to do the following : acknowledge fair housing law, not
discriminate in renting their apartments, list their apartments with a
Section 8 agency, keep a log of all inquiries for each of their apartments
which HOME may monitor for a period of five years, and have all new staff
including Mr. Liberatore attend a fair housing training session. In
addition to those things HOME was asked to provide them with a tenant
selection policy and procedures to implement.
HOME is hopeful that this latest
settlement will assure equal housing opportunity at Washington Square. |
