Federal housing officials have accused the Grapevine Housing Authority and two top officials of violating fair housing law by discriminating against a tenant for issues stemming from his diabetes. The City of Grapevine rejects the claims and said it acted to protect the safety of its tenants.
According to a charging document filed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the civil case, the housing authority tried to evict a tenant from a city-owned senior apartments complex because he acted erratically during a medical episode.
鈥淎 person鈥檚 disability should never interfere with their ability to maintain access to safe and affordable housing,鈥� Demetria L. McCain, the department鈥檚 assistant deputy secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity, said in a press release. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 charge demonstrates HUD's steadfast commitment to take appropriate action when housing providers fail to comply with the Fair Housing Act.鈥�
In an emailed statement, Grapevine City Attorney Matthew Boyle called the claims 鈥渂aseless.鈥�
鈥淭he Charge lacks merit both factually and legally,鈥� Boyle said, adding that the tenant was 鈥渨as fully and reasonably accommodated as he was never forced to vacate his unit at the Grapevine Housing Authority.鈥�
According to the HUD charges, the tenant grew disoriented and confused in September 2020 due to low blood sugar and high blood pressure. He wanted to visit his mother at her apartment a mile down the road but couldn鈥檛 find his phone or remember how to get there.
Around 3 o鈥檆lock in the morning, tenant knocked on several neighbors鈥� doors in the complex to ask for help, according to the HUD document.
Grapevine鈥檚 Boyle said in that the tenant, who he refers to as the 鈥渃harging party,鈥� tried to 鈥渇orcibly enter鈥� his neighbors鈥� apartments.
鈥淭he Housing Authority is obligated to provide a safe place for all of its tenants to reside. The Housing Authority could not sit idly by and ignore the frightening and dangerous acts of the Charging Party especially when two of those tenants鈥� lodged complaints about his acts,鈥� Boyle said.
Police were called and eventually took him home. The next day, the tenant was treated for ketonuria and hypertension at an emergency room.
In the following days, after receiving a police report and complaints from neighbors about the tenant鈥檚 knocking, Grapevine Housing Authority Executive Jane Everett began the process of evicting the tenant.
In emails to staff members, she questioned whether the tenant鈥檚 medical crisis was the result of diabetes or 鈥渆xcessive alcohol,鈥� the HUD charge stated. Police did not smell alcohol on the tenant on the night of the episode, and he denied drinking.
Everett is one of the housing authority officials HUD charged with disability discrimination.
The tenant then had an administrative hearing that was overseen by Bonnie McHugh, vice chair of the housing authority鈥檚 board of commissioners and the other official charged by HUD.
Asked why he was 鈥渂anging on doors,鈥� the tenant told McHugh that he was afraid he was dying and that he felt 鈥渓ike his heart was going to explode,鈥� and he wanted help because he couldn鈥檛 find his phone or remember how to get to his mother鈥檚 home. He said he鈥檇 previously had two heart attacks, and that he was told his blood pressure was at 鈥渟troke level鈥� when he went to the hospital.
McHugh upheld the lease termination. In a letter, the authority explained that he was being evicted because he 鈥渢hreatened the safety of the residents.鈥� According to HUD, the letter also told him he couldn鈥檛 visit his mother because she lives in a Grapevine Housing Authority property, and that 鈥淚f you are discovered on GHA property, you are jeopardizing your mother鈥檚 lease, her lease will be terminated.鈥�
After a justice of the peace ruled in favor of the housing authority and ordered the tenant鈥檚 eviction, the tenant appealed. After that, he suffered a series of health issues and was hospitalized multiple times, delaying the legal proceedings for several months.
Eventually, the housing authority decided not to continue suing for eviction and allowed the tenant to renew his lease in September 2021. But according to the HUD document, the tenant was still fearful that the authority would try again to evict him for the 2020 episode and decided to move out a few months later.
鈥淎s a result of Respondents鈥� discriminatory conduct, Complainant suffered actual damages including, but not limited to physical and emotional distress, inconvenience, and out-of-pocket expenses,鈥� the HUD charging document states.
HUD is asking that the court to order the Grapevine Housing Authority, Everett and McHugh to pay a fine of $24,793 each and pay monetary damages to the tenant, and to attend a training on the Fair Housing Act鈥檚 disability discrimination prohibitions.
Got a tip? Christopher Connelly is 四虎影院's One Crisis Away Reporter, exploring life on the financial edge. Email Christopher at cconnelly@kera.org. You can follow Christopher on Twitter .
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