Tuesday, August 27, 2024
White Plains, NY – On August 27, 2024, the New York State Division of Human Rights (NYS DHR) filed a housing discrimination lawsuit in New York State court against Dawn Homes Management. The lawsuit is based on a complaint originally filed with NYS DHR by Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc. (WRO) in August 2021 alleging Dawn Homes illegally discriminated on the basis of lawful source of income against individuals using housing vouchers or other rental subsidies.
Dawn Homes operates apartment complexes in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, with over 30 sites in upstate New York. WRO’s complaint was based on a multi-year testing investigation conducted by WRO of seven of Dawn Homes’ New York apartment complexes. WRO alleged that Dawn Homes applied a minimum income requirement at its New York apartment complexes that excluded virtually all applicants with rental subsidies. After WRO filed a complaint with NYS DHR, DHR undertook its own investigation of WRO’s allegations and Dawn Homes’ defenses, culminating in July 2023 in NYS DHR finding “probable cause” in favor of WRO’s claims.
WRO’s Executive Director Marlene Zarfes thanked the NYS DHR investigators and attorneys for their careful and thorough investigation of WRO’s allegations and stated that “WRO expects to intervene in this lawsuit to pursue our claims alongside DHR and we look forward to making our case before the court.”
WRO is represented in this matter by Diane L. Houk of Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel, LLP.
The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported by funding under a grant with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government.
Founded in 1968, WRO is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote equal, affordable, and accessible housing opportunities for all residents in the Lower Hudson Valley region of New York. Learn more at www.wroinc.org and www.affordablewestchester.org.