Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Township
HEC of Pennsylvania and Emess Management Reach Agreement Resolving Fair Housing Allegations
A fair housing advocacy group announced it entered into an agreement with a management company that operates apartment complexes in Bucks and Lehigh Counties.
The Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania (“HECP”) and Emess Management LLC (“Emess”) entered into a conciliation agreement, resolving allegations that the company discriminated against prospective tenants with disabilities at four apartment complexes- Levittown Trace Apartments, and Castle Club Apartments, in Lower Bucks County and Riverbend at Allentown, Mill Run Apartments in Lehigh County an HEC spokesperson said.
According to the agreed upon language, HECP initiated a fair housing testing investigation of four properties managed by Emess in response to a complaint from a tenant who alleged that she was not permitted to transfer to a first-floor unit as her disability-related symptoms worsened and that she was denied a reserved parking space. Fair housing testers calling the complexes were told that parking spaces could not be reserved for residents with limited mobility and that live-in health care aides would not be permitted unless they underwent screening and were listed on the lease. HECP and the complainant filed a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, known as the Fair Housing Act, makes it unlawful to discriminate in connection with any housing related transaction, based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or familial status. Housing providers are obligated under this law to permit reasonable accommodations, or changes in rules, policies, or practices, when necessary for residents with disabilities to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy their dwellings. Disability has been protected under the Fair Housing Act since 1988.
Credit: Submitted
Emess admitted no wrongdoing but has agreed to a resolution that includes payments of $60,000 to the consumer and $15,000 to HECP to cover a portion of the costs incurred to bring about the agreement and to provide future consumer education regarding the fair housing rights of persons with disabilities. Additionally, Emess has agreed to require staff to participate in comprehensive fair housing training and will adopt revised policies which comply with the Fair Housing Act and HUD/DOJ guidance on reasonable accommodations.
“A management company’s refusal to allow reasonable accommodations can have a significant impact on the day-to-day quality of life of people with disabilities. The denial of a tenant’s request for a reserved handicapped parking space or a transfer to a more accessible unit can result in increased physical pain, isolation, and decreased independence. Housing providers need to understand that making exceptions to their ordinary practices when necessary to ensure equal opportunity for residents with disabilities is an obligation under the law.” said Rachel Wentworth, Executive Director of HECP.
Earlier this HEC announced a similar agreement with Creekside Apartments in Bensalem Township.
The Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania has worked since 1956 to eliminate housing discrimination through education, advocacy, and enforcement of fair housing laws. HECP’s work serves a population of over 4.65 million in the seven-county Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley regions. As the nation’s oldest fair housing agency, HECP’s successes include eradicating discriminatory practices at over 50,000 units of housing. HECP was represented in this matter by Abara Law Firm.
Bristol Borough Fire Chief Herb Slack on Tuesday morning released the following statement on last nights Dorrance Street Fire.
It’s only been edited for style:
Credit: Submitted
Credit: Joe Nelson
Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Township
Bristol Twp Police Reports: Levittown Man Arrested on Aggravated Assault Charges, License Plate Stolen in Farmbrook and More !
Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Township
Bristol Twp. School District Clothing Drive Does More Than Provide Attire, It Provides Stability for Students in Need
It is one thing to see a teenage student on their way to school wearing a “hoodie” on a cold winter day.
It is an entirely different image to see a child heading to school on that same cold winter day, not wearing a winter jacket. This is the very image Bristol Township School District and Police Department officials recently joined forces to fight with a significant financial contribution from philanthropist Gene Epstein
The school district said recently it has about 130 students experiencing serious stable housing challenges.
Dr. Meredith Leach School District Social Worker said, holding the drive and providing the needed clothing for students experiencing a period of housing displacement can and does offer not only clothing, but a sense of stability students need to thrive in class.
It’s no secret, Leach said, that a sense of stability leads to achievement. By providing basic needs, such as clothing, they (school district and police department) are trying to put their students in the best possible position to succeed and thrive, despite the housing challenges their families are facing.
Leach said families experiencing housing challenges and alike usually self-identify to the school district and fellow counselors and social workers system wide to coordinate resource support.
“The school district also offers school supplies, hygiene items and if we don’t have it in stock at our offices we order it online.”
“Sometimes something so minor to an outsider, like organizers for clothing drawers, for a student means the world because it gives them a sense of control over some of the life circumstances they’re experiencing.”
“We’re lucky enough to live in a county and state where services for students experiencing this kind of life challenge there are an array of services and resources available,” Leach said.
So lucky that neighboring businesses, such as Five Below in Tullytown, donated to the cause once the clothing drive was announced.
Credit: Joanne Ames – Lower Bucks Source
The Clothing Drive
Leach said the clothing drive idea came to fruition once she and her staff reviewed the numbers and realized about 130 students were in need.
In the human services field (i.e. social work) a measure of your professional success and community connection is always having that one yet-to-be used resource in your back pocket that social workers place on the table when faced with a potentially troubling situation, experts agree.
I saw a social media post from Neshaminy School District that said “we are filling our closets.”
Leach pulled out her “Ace Card” in the form of the Bristol Twp. Police Dept. Officer John Dobbs who in turn reached out to Epstein because they worked well together in the past.
The Epsteins donated to the cause as well as Walmart making a $500 contribution to the effort, Sgt. Jason Mancuso said.
We basically filled everything the school district needed for those 125 to 130 students, Mancuso said.
The Bristol Township Police Union (PBA) contributed a number of gift cards to the effort as well.
Leach in a moment of levity said of the clothing drive spending spree paid for by Epstein, “when do you ever get carte blanche to buy what you want as a social worker? Never!” She admitted to being a bit timid at first when selecting clothing items to purchase.
“Mancuso and Dobbs changed that for me. They grabbed boxes where I was grabbing packets,” she said, in joyous laughter.
The spacious school district office where the clothes are kept and distributed to school district social workers is filled with supplies for students now, thanks to Epstein giving Mancuso his credit card allowing Leach to spend thousands on students in need.
How could I not do it and live in good conscience, Epstein said.
“Those students were in immediate need,” he said “and it would take way too much time to set up a fundraising drive. Here’s my credit card and I don’t care what you spend. Get the kids what they need.”
Credit: Joanne Ames – Lower Bucks Source
“Whatever our students need we’re going to do everything we can to help them. We don’t want any of our students walking around with needs we can help them meet. I like to think we can help our students, and their families to be build a scaffold that they in turn can build upon.”
The response to the need by the Bristol Twp Police, the PBA and the Epsteins was amazing, Leach said.
The student-focused clothing drive officially launched February 2 and remains ongoing until the need no longer exists.
Any clean clothes, even if previously worn, can be dropped off at the Bristol Twp Police records department hallway or at the Bristol Township School Admin Building on Green Lane.
Opus Outreach Foundation joined the clothing drive shortly after it was announced. Items can be dropped off at Opus Elite Real Estate 119 Trenton Road, Fairless Hills. If you want to arrange a clothing drive donation you can call Christy Becker at 267 338-7518.
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