The webinar will present an overview of the Fair Housing Act (the “Act”) as it applies to senior housing and long-term care with Attorney Cory Macdonald.
The Fair House Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability, and many if not most seniors meet the definition of “disabled” under the Act. Because of this, screening residents prior to residency based on health status, and restricting or failing to accommodate residents with disabilities after admission, can present serious legal risk. We will discuss cases applying the Fair Housing Act to retirement communities, and we will discuss testing operations in which Fair Housing advocacy organizations go undercover to identify and bring claims against senior housing providers. In addition to disability issues, we will discuss other areas of potential discrimination claims, including a current lawsuit against a nonprofit Missouri Life Plan Community alleging discrimination against a same sex couple.
Objectives:
Participants will:
- Understand the basics of the Fair Housing Act;
- Know areas of heightened risk for senior housing providers, including restrictions on admission and on access to amenities and common areas based on health status/disability;
- Understand recent trends in Fair Housing Act enforcement and litigation, including challenges to provider policies on same sex couples;
- Learn strategies for promoting Fair Housing Act compliance and reducing exposure to claims.
