In The Spotlight

Complainant in Housing Discrimination Case Files an Appeal Before the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH)

(Title Updated 12/17/2020)

By: Steven Bruce, PWDF Legal Director

In a previous issue of our newsletter, we discussed a client’s housing discrimination case. The complainant alleged discrimination on the basis of PTSD, psychosis, and transgender. Upon being requested to supply names and contact information for witnesses on an appeal filed by PWDF in 2018, but not looked at by the state agency until around October 2020, PWDF determined that the state agency applied incorrect law in this case. PWDF ascertained this based on relevant and material facts, which had resulted in the complainant being homeless for the last two years. What follows is a link to the appeal memo to the California DFEH to an attorney in their legal division, through one of their consultant investigators.

That is DFEH’s procedure for handling appeals once they get to it. Apparently, it does not matter if someone has been homeless for two years or not.

Read Appeal Here: Housing-memo-12-10-20 645pm-Redacted

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Who We Are

People With Disabilities Foundation is an operating 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California, which focuses on the rights of the mentally and developmentally disabled.

Services

Advocacy: PWDF advocates for Social Security claimant’s disability benefits in eight Bay Area counties. We also provide services in disability rights, on issues regarding returning to work, and in ADA consultations, including areas of employment, health care, and education, among others. There is representation before all levels of federal court and Administrative Law Judges. No one is declined due to their inability to pay, and we offer a sliding scale for attorney’s fees.

Education/Public Awareness: To help eliminate the stigma against people with mental disabilities in society, PWDF’s educational program organizes workshops and public seminars, provides guest speakers with backgrounds in mental health, and produces educational materials such as videos.

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