When Jerri Dombrowski was denied the opportunity to rent from Royal Glen Apartments solely because she did not meet its “three times the rent” requirement, she was furious. Living with a disability, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) made up about half her income, and the other half came from part-time employment, so she could never reach the rent threshold. In response, she requested reasonable accommodation, asking that Royal Glen make an exception to its policy and allow her to rent with her income of two times the rent. Royal Glen denied her request.
That’s when Jerri decided to take matters into her own hands and file a pro se lawsuit (without the aid of an attorney) against Royal Glen. Once the case was in discovery, she also reached out to the FHC for additional assistance. After reviewing the facts, we connected her with FHC Cooperating Attorney Francyne Stacey, who represented Jerri through the rest of the case. The case, which settled for an undisclosed amount, sends the message that when it comes to issues of disability and renting, housing providers need to make reasonable exceptions to their rules to ensure people with disabilities equitable access to housing.