The feds say the city of Los Angeles will have to fork over $38.2 million to settle allegations it failed for over a decade to make affordable multifamily housing accessible to people with disabilities the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.
The settlement resolves claims that the city had not solved accessibility problems in the HUD-funded housing units. The DOJ said these units were designed with features that disabled people could not use: steep slopes, high counters and thresholds too high to reach. Meanwhile, the city made false certifications about its compliance with federal grant requirements.
`This settlement shows we’ll make sure that people with disabilities do get access to affordable housing where jurisdictions are getting federal grant money,2 Mr. Boynton emphasized.
Federal statute requires that some percentage of multi-family housing units receiving Section 8 funding offer handicap accessibility to handicapped people. In particular, 5% of the units must work for those with mobility impairments and another 2% of the units must be accessible to those with visual and audio impediments.
