Wherein my best friend sues

[Akasa]

I'm sorry I keep comeing up with more stories we've been through, I remember in spurts.

My best friend was in a section 8 houseing apartment complex, one of the nice government subsidezed ones, in a decent area, etc.
The staff did things like bring her donuts after she got home from surgery, let her be late on rent because she'd be in the hospital recovering from surgery when rent is normally due, etc.(I put this in to show the difference.)
Then she gets a guide dog, raises it up and trains it herself(which is allowed by law it doesn't have to be from the Seeing Eye Dog company to be a guide dog.) All of a sudden her apartment manager is demanding she get rid of the dog, its against the lease, etc. She shows them to law that says its allowed, that all she has to do is show them the law and things should be cleared up.
Its not. She goes through months of showing them the law, taking in copies weekly, even contacting the owners about it, and still is harrassed. Then the apartment manager tries to say the dog is viscious and has attacked a child. This dog never bit anyone, it barked threateningly at someone (who was agitated and waving their arms wildly in a threatening manner towards her much later in life, but nev er bit anyone.) She gets an animal control officer to evaluate the dog and in his words "There's not a viscous bone in his body!" Meanwhile there is a small dog running around the apartment complex that has bitten children, and its been around a lot.
After about 3 months of this she gets an eviction notice for not getting rid of her "pet."
She starts a federal lawsuit against them, both the owners and the property manager. Not only did they have to pay her thousands of dollars, they lost their government funding and section 8 status.

[Automan Empire]

Yup, you don't go messing with A.D.A. issues if you own a business or housing! Lawsuit country. (A.D.A. stands for the Americans with Disabilities act, a set of regulations and laws that mandate handicapped access in public places and accomodations by employers etc)

Section 8 housing is subject to a lot of scrutiny too, nit-picky stuff about the fences, paint, etc. I wish they would scrutinize some of the tenants, though... it boggles the mind that the section 8 tenants next door all have 2 new trucks/vans per family, complete with custom lowering and rims.

[smileyeagle1021]

Automan, can I get your section 8s to move into the building down the street from us... it's also gov subsidized (not sure if it's section 8 or a local equivalent)... except a good deal of them are proof of the stereotype of the lazy welfare mom/dad/pimp/whatever.

eta, before someone jumps me on it, yes I know that a lot, if not most of the people on welfare are honest people who just need help getting on their feet, I say the stereotypical lazy welfare recipient because lets not kid ourselves, that is a stereotype that many people hold, and which my neighbors are reinforcing.

[otakuneko]

<Klinger> Did someone say SECTION 8?

[TheComputerError]

Quoth otakuneko

<Klinger> Did someone say SECTION 8?

New keyboard. You owe me one. This one now has Mountain Dew all over it.

Bringing this back on topic, however, how hard is it for people to understand that a service animal is allowed pretty much everywhere that the person needing said service animal is allowed?

Although, now you've triggered a thought that'll probably become a post in the Management forum...

[MoxisPilot]

Quoth otakuneko

<Klinger> Did someone say SECTION 8?

LOVE! Oh-so-much LOVE!

[Evil Queen]

I love Klinger. <3

What does Section 8 mean for the government housing? I've heard of it but always thought it was... ya know... Klinger.

[blas]

I always figured it was some code?

My mother used to work in the housing authority section of her local courthouse. I can ask her tomorrow......

[UncleImpy]

Section 8 is, if I remember correctly, a quote from HUD (Housing and Urban Development). I looked into this when I had to move to Seattle and couldnt sell the house I own in Dallas off.

Basically, a private land/home owner can lease their property to individuals that have been approved by Section 8. You still get to decide if you want to allow them to rent your property, and you ARE the landlord, its just...the rent checks for your tenant come from the government, not them. Its pretty much guaranteed income - you know the tenant isnt going to not pay the rent, because the government is paying it, not them.

HOWEVER, there's nothing preventing said tenant from damaging the hell out of your property, and the government will NOT pay for anything OTHER than rent. So you still have to screen applicants for hopefully-non-crack-using wasteoids that will trash your house.

Ultimately that's why I just ended up renting the place to a friend of mine for dirt cheap. I didn't want to take the risk.

[DevilBoy]

Quoth Evil Queen

I love Klinger. <3

What does Section 8 mean for the government housing? I've heard of it but always thought it was... ya know... Klinger.

The very short, abbreviated and simplified version:

If you are approved for Section 8, then you pay part of the rent (based on eligibility and your income), the Gov't pays the rest.
For example, if your rent is $600, you might pay only $200 a month and the Gov't pays the remaining $400 each month.