Township Enjoined from Blocking Housing Plan for Mentally Disabled

摘要

In a Fair Housing Act challenge, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania granted a preliminary injunction to prevent a township from blocking the move of eight mentally disabled individuals from a closed state hospital to a home within the township. (Community Services, Inc. v. Heidelberg Township, Civil Action No. 1:06-CV-1206, 2006 WL 2080384 (M.D.Pa.), July 25, 2006) Community Services, Inc. (CSI), a regional healthcare provider, sought approval from the Heidelberg Township Zoning Board to move the individuals into a home in an agricultural zone. The zone permits single-family dwellings as of right and domiciliary care units (DCUs) by special exception. A DCU allows supervising living arrangements for no more than two unrelated mentally disabled adults.