| Parents have
certain responsibilities. They have to feed, clothe, and shelter their
children. They have to teach them to say 'please', 'thank you', and other
basic common courtesies. They have to teach them to say 'I'm sorry' and to
accept responsibility for their actions. This is exactly what Deb Wallace*
a single mother of three, wanted to teach her children.
After losing her home in a fire, Ms. Wallace
was prepared to start her life over. With the help of a local agency, Ms.
Wallace was able to locate a home that was perfect for her three sons and
herself. Ms. Wallace took her children to see the house and left
references with the landlord. After not hearing from the landlord for two
weeks, a caseworker from the agency called the landlord regarding the
status of the application. The landlord told the caseworker that she would
not be renting the apartment to Ms. Wallace because she had too many
children and they would destroy her property. Both Ms. Wallace and the
caseworker called Housing Opportunities Made Equal to file a
discrimination case based on familial status against the landlord. With
the assistance of HOME a complaint was filed with the New York State
Division of Human Rights.
But what did Ms. Wallace want out of this
complaint? She no longer wanted the apartment. She didn't seek a huge
monetary award. She simply wanted the landlord to know that what she did
was not fair, and was in violation of her rights under the fair housing
law. Ms. Wallace's case was settled for $250.00 and a written apology from
the landlord, but she received more. She received confirmation that it is
never too early to start teaching children how to take responsibility for
their actions.
*Client's name has been changed. |
