Fair Housing Information

Equal Housing Opportunity

It is the policy of the Medina Metropolitan MMHA (MMHA) to fully comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VIII and Section 3 of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (as amended), Executive Order 11063, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and any legislation protecting the individual rights of residents, applicants or staff which may be subsequently enacted.

The MMHA shall not discriminate because of race, color, sex, religion, familial status (in non-elderly designated housing), disability, handicap, gender identity or national origin in the leasing, rental, or other disposition of housing or related facilities, including land, included in any development or developments under its jurisdiction.

The MMHA shall not take any of the following actions on account of race, color, sex, religion, familial status, disability, handicap, or national origin:

  1. Deny to any family the opportunity to apply for housing, nor deny to any eligible applicant the opportunity to lease housing suitable to its needs.
  2. Provide housing which is different than that provided others.
  3. Subject a person to segregation or disparate treatment.
  4. Restrict a person's access to any benefit enjoyed by others in connection with any program operated by the MMHA.
  5. Treat a person differently in determining eligibility or other requirements for admission.
  6. Deny a person access to the same level of services.
  7. Deny a person the opportunity to participate in a planning or advisory group which is an integral part of the public housing or tenant-based housing programs.

The MMHA shall not automatically deny admission to a particular group or category of otherwise eligible applicants (e.g., families with children born to unmarried parents or elderly pet owners). Each applicant in a particular group or category will be treated on an individual basis in the normal processing routine.

The MMHA will seek to identify and eliminate situations or procedures that create a barrier to equal housing opportunity for all. In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the MMHA will make such physical or procedural changes as will reasonably accommodate people with disabilities.

MMHA records with respect to applications for admission shall indicate for each application the date of receipt; the determination of eligibility or non-eligibility; the preference rating, if any; and the date, location, identification, and circumstances of each vacancy offered and whether that vacancy was accepted or rejected.

Language Assistance

Language assistance – The goal of the Medina Metro Housing Authority Choice Voucher Program Language Assistance Plan is to ensure that all individuals whether potential applicants, applicants, or participants have meaningful access to housing services regardless of the primary language spoken. If you need an interpreter or translation services, please advise the office and assistance will be arranged for you.

Reasonable Accommodations

The Medina Metropolitan Housing Authority (MMHA) is a public agency that provides affordable housing and rental assistance programs to eligible families. MMHA is not permitted to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, color, national origin, age, disability, or familial status. In addition, the MMHA has a legal obligation to provide “reasonable accommodations” to applicants, residents or clients if they or any of their family members have a disability. A reasonable accommodation is some modification or change the MMHA can make to its apartments or procedures that will assist an otherwise eligible applicant, resident or client with a disability to utilize the MMHA’s programs. Examples of reasonable accommodations would include:

  • Making alterations to an MMHA unit so it can be used by a family member with a mobility impairment or other disability;
  • Installing strobe-type flashing light smoke detectors in an MMHA unit for a family with a member who has a hearing-impaired disability;
  • Waiving pet policy requirements in MMHA properties to allow a person with a disability their assistive animal;
  • Waiving unfavorable results in the application screening process due to mitigating circumstances related to a disability;
  • Making large type documents, Braille documents, cassettes or a reader available to an applicant, resident, or client with a vision impairment, or making a sign language interpreter available to the applicant, resident or client during the application process and meetings with MMHA staff;
  • Requesting MMHA staff assistance with the application process if an applicant with a disability has difficulty writing or understanding the material contained in the application;
  • Requesting additional time to complete the application process with or without assistance;
  • Permitting an outside agency or individual to assist an applicant with a disability to meet the application screening criteria.

An applicant, resident or client family that has a member with a disability must still be able to meet essential obligations of the program applied for, with or without assistance. They must be able to pay rent, care for their apartment, report required information to the MMHA, avoid disturbing their neighbors, etc., but there is no requirement that they be able to do these things without assistance.

If you or a member of your family have a disability and think you might need or want a reasonable accommodation, you may request it at any time in the application process or at any time you need an accommodation. If you would prefer not to discuss your situation with the MMHA, that is your right.