Fair Housing
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and disability. More on the Fair Housing Act
Boulder County Housing Authority complies with all state and federal laws prohibiting discrimination. The following are examples of actions by housing providers which are prohibited when based on membership in a protected class:
- Refusing to show, rent or sell;
- Charging higher rates to buy or rent;
- Asking for a larger or additional security deposit;
- Advertising a preference for a certain type of person to buy or rent a living unit;
- Denying access or use of the facility or service that is normally available with occupancy;
- Refusing to allow reasonable accommodations for an aide, service animal, parking, or physical modification.
If you believe your rights have been violated, call the Colorado Fair Housing Hotline at (303) 672-5437 or 1-800-877-7353.
Reasonable Accommodation
A reasonable accommodation may be requested by Boulder County Housing Authority (BCHA) applicants, tenants and program participants to ensure equal access by people with disabilities to its programs and activities. An accommodation is a change in rules, practices, policies, or services. For BCHA, these may include but are not limited to accommodations which are necessary for a person with a disability to apply for housing assistance, use, enjoy and maintain a dwelling (including public and common use spaces), and attend meetings. There must be an identifiable relationship between the requested accommodation and the individual’s disability, and the request must be necessary to ameliorate the effects of the disability and provide the person with the disability an equal opportunity to use or enjoy the program.
An accommodation request is considered “reasonable” if it does not create an undue administrative and financial burden for BCHA, if it does not change the fundamental nature of its programs or operations, and if it does not pose a direct threat to the health and safety of other individuals.
BCHA has an established Reasonable Accommodation Committee which makes determinations regarding requests for applicants, tenants and program participants. These clients include, but are not limited to, program and property applicants, residents of BCHA properties, Housing Choice Voucher-holders, and Family Self-Sufficiency program participants. The Committee’s guiding document is its Policies and Procedures.
The following is an outline of the process:
- To request a reasonable accommodation, please complete a Request Packet. This packet includes a tenant request form, a third-party verification form, and a staff recommendation. The packet is often submitted by the staff contact prior to the meeting.
- The Committee, made up of program, property, maintenance and resident services staff, meets monthly to review requests and make determinations. If questions about a request arise during a meeting, the Committee will contact the appropriate staff, and if needed, reach out to the requester for more information.
- Within 10 business days, the Committee sends a letter to each requester, letting them know the determination of their request(s), with a copy to appropriate staff.
- Upon approval, the requester will work with their staff contact to execute the request, if granted.
- A requester who disagrees with the Committee’s decision may resubmit their request with additional information which would aid in the decision-making process. She or he may also request an informal review with the Section 504/ADA Coordinator. Requests for an informal review must be made within 10 days of denial and must be submitted to the Section 504/ADA Coordinator.
The Committee also hears requests for reasonable modifications, which are requests for structural changes to BCHA units or public and common areas. As with accommodation requests, a modification request must be disability-related and reasonable. Tenants may bear some responsibility for the costs associated with a reasonable modification.
For questions regarding Fair Housing or Reasonable Accommodation, please contact the Department of Housing and Human Services at 303-441-3929 press option 1 for English and option 0 to leave a message for the receptionist or housing@bouldercounty.gov.
