Success Stories
David
...continued from the home page
David was
moving with his family to accept a faculty position at a Buffalo area college.
He sought both to further his teaching career and to live in a community of
choice. Through the internet, he found what seemed to be the perfect place.
Although he had made an appointment by telephone and driven seven hours and hundreds of miles, when David and his family appeared at the upscale, suburban complex, the agent discovered he and his family were black. She claimed there was nothing available. David explained he just wanted to see a model and complete a pre-leasing application (a process which had been explained to him by telephone); however the agent still refused—despite David’s willingness to put down a hefty deposit.
David and his wife were stunned by this blatant display of racial discrimination. David’s three sons were confused and dismayed, not fully understanding what had happened. The children questioned their father, “Daddy, why can’t we see our new home?” David and his wife were forced to explain there would be no home for them there.
Despite years of hard work and a lifetime of accomplishment, the color of his skin slammed shut the door of opportunity. Embarrassed in front of his wife and children, David called HOME in search of justice.
Sara
Sara is legally blind with a seeing-eye dog as a service animal. She was searching for an apartment in Hamburg and one landlord told her, "absolutely no pets." Sara explained that the guide dog was not a pet but a service animal. The landlord still refused Sara the apartment in which she was interested, saying that she should have told him over the phone that she was blind because this was wasting his time. Sara did not know what to do; she called HOME for help.
HOME was able to advise her on her rights under the fair housing laws, explaining reasonable accommodations to the policies for people with disabilities and to bring a successful complaint against the landlord.
Ken
Excited over the possibility of moving into a new neighborhood, Ken took his Section 8 voucher to mean a new beginning in life. He began his search for housing with an examination of neighborhoods throughout Western New York and decided he wanted to live in the Buffalo's University District. Upon viewing an apartment, he was told that the landlord would not accept Section 8 because they never accepted it in the past. "The landlord is just mean," the rental agent said. Ken's hopes were dashed. He turned to HOME for help.
HOME's investigation proved that source of income discrimination had occurred. HOME was able to get Ken the housing of his choice.