Baldwin’s landlord settles housing discrimination complaint

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The owner and manager of a Baldwin apartment complex has settled an income discrimination complaint filed by Long Island Housing Services (LIHS) with the New York State Division of Human Rights.

A complaint filed against Baldwin Gardens Apartments, Grand Associates Management and two of its employees alleged that prospective tenants with Housing Choice Section 8 vouchers were turned away by the property’s management.

LIHS conducted an investigation of Baldwin Gardens Apartments in 2022, sending testers with Section 8 vouchers to try to rent apartments in the complex. According to the LIHS statement, testers were repeatedly told that Section 8 housing vouchers are not accepted and that they do not participate in Section 8 programs. Specifically, testers were told that “we do not participate in Section 8 programs” and that “ in some buildings they will participate, but we’re just not one of those participating,” LIHS said.

New York State, Suffolk County, and Nassau County Human Rights Laws prohibit discrimination based on legitimate sources of income, including Section 8 vouchers, Supplemental Security Income, Social Security Disability, Nursing Home Transition and Redirect Subsidy, Subsidy for Housing in Olmsted, Traumatic Brain Injury Medical Assistance Waiver or Child Support Program, under LIHS.

The settlement, which awarded LIHS $15,000 in monetary damages, also required the defendants to adopt a non-discriminatory fair housing policy and reflect compliance with fair housing laws on their lease and rental forms. In addition, the landlord agreed to add source-of-income language to the property’s website, participate in fair housing training, and post equal housing opportunity posters and New York State Division of Human Rights regulations.

“As I’ve said before, income protection has been law in New York State for five years and much longer in county law on Long Island,” Ian Wilder, executive director of LIHS, said in a statement. “It’s long past time for landlords to know that they need to comply with the law. And it is especially regrettable that they call out the reasons for refusal that are against the law. We need our cities and towns to require fair housing education for landlords similar to what we have for real estate agents and mortgage brokers.”