Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)

Citation: Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)
Jurisdiction: Arlington (municipal)
Source: Official source
Original Source: https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/57214/637641171662530000 ↗

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Needs and Barriers Specific to Protected Classes
Beyond the general challenges above, participants discussed housing challenges or discriminatory actions
experienced by specific protected classes. For the purpose of this summary, challenges faced by each group are
discussed in separate sections, but it is common to be a member of multiple protected classes and many of the
challenges discussed below are not mutually exclusive.

Disability
Participants who identified as disabled discussed specific challenges they face in their current homes. Some of
these were related to the physical building, such as an upper-floor unit in a building without an elevator. Lack of
automatic doors, particularly for trash areas, were cited as a barrier. Two participants mentioned a need for in-
unit washers and dryers, due to the difficulty of carrying laundry to a common laundry room, and for
dishwashers. Several participants commented on the lack of comfort in older buildings, whether from cold air and
drafts around windows in winter or lack of ventilation and excessive heat in the summer.
Participants also discussed reasonable accommodations, both that they had previously received and that they
wished their landlord would provide. One resident with asthma said that she would like to seek an
accommodation to install ventilation in the kitchen, which currently is unventilated, but was unsure if her need
would qualify. Reasonable accommodations were not only related to physical improvements; one participant

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Arlington Fair Housing Action Plan