Can you imagine driving home at night and not having a place to park your vehicle? Considering you can't bring your car inside your house and you can't leave your car parked in the middle of the street, you would be denied access to your home. Should low-income persons be denied access to their rented apartments?
The current parking policy at this subsidized housing complex deliberately impedes equal access to housing for certain households. It is unfair housing when some households can't rely on at least one place to park just one vehicle at their place of residence.
March 2006, a legal resident of this housing complex parked one registered vehicle in a parking spot overnight. It was parked according to Management's parking policy with a parking sticker appropriately posted in the rear window. The following day, she went to use her car, but it was missing. To make a long story short, the resident eventually discovered it was illegally towed away by Management's tow company, South Shore Auto Recovery. Albion's Tow truck returned the vehicle to the property with an apology.
In 2007, this happened to another resident, also with just one vehicle appropriately parked on this subsidized property. When the driver discovered it was illegally removed from this property, his vehicle was towed back by South Shore Auto Recovery. I can't imagine a private landlord getting away with towing their tenant's vehicle from a driveway when it complies with a landlord's parking policy, especially if it happened more than once. Could we 'accidentally' take a person's vehicle without being charged with theft? Do low-income persons have any enforceable right to security or peace of mind? I can't recall agreeing to trade my American rights away in order to live in HUD housing. Is this now a requirement?
May 2007, one of the residents mentioned in this article had a $30. ticket placed on her vehicle because there were no available parking spots at her place of residence. It is unfair housing when there is not at least one reliable parking spot for each household, especially in a Town that offers little or no accessible transportation and no grocery stores. There are 204 apartments (not all vacated), with at least 214 parking spaces. Each household should be provided at least one parking space, whether they own or legally borrow that vehicle. What is a resident to do when they can't gain access to their rented apartment overnight because vehicles don't conveniently fold up like accordions?
Additionally, by setting policies and then selectively and inconsistently enforcing these policies, a landlord deliberately denies some households equal access to housing opportunities. This is discrimination and goes against Federal Fair Housing laws. It's been my experience that this corporate management has taken full advantage of our government's deliberate lethargy to enforce our laws, especially when it comes to Americans living in poverty.