Article Courtesy of Bay News 9
By Erin Maloney
Published April 3, 2016
LAKELAND -- A Polk County mother is fighting a senior living
community after the board wouldn't allow her to move in with her daughter with
special needs.
Linda Haase says she
couldn't wait to move into Skyview Estates. The quiet, gated
mobile home community only allows people over the age 55 to move
in. If the resident's spouse or dependent is in the home, the
person must be 45 or older.
But Haase has a 26-year-old daughter named Nikole with cerebral
palsy. Nicole can't live alone, and needs her mother for care.
"The main reason I want to live there is because my family’s
there. My parents are there, my sister’s there, my
brother-in-laws are there," Haase said.
Haase says the board at Skyview Estates refuses to let her move
in, even after she filed a complaint detailing her daughter's
condition.
In fact, board members recently met and approved hiring a lawyer
to fight the complaint.
Haase believes the board
of the community is violating the Fair Housing Act. |
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Linda Haase says she couldn't wait to move into Skyview Estates. The
quiet, gated mobile home community only allows people over the age 55 to
move in. But Haase has a 26-year-old daughter named Nikole with cerebral
palsy who can't live alone.
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Board members would not talk to Bay News 9 for comment, but at the recent
meeting, some expressed concern over keeping their senior living status. Some
community members worry if they break the rules and let one person in, the whole
community will change.
The Florida Commission on Human Relations can't comment on specific cases. But a
lawyer there tells Bay News 9 that the Fair Housing Act requires housing
providers, including condominium associations, to make reasonable accommodations
to their policies. That could include a waiver of occupancy on age limits in
order to approve a live-in caregiver for a disabled resident.
A final decision should come down this summer on whether Haase will be allowed
to move in. |