skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Service Animals: A Common Discrimination Topic in MT Housing

play audio
Play

Wednesday, January 26, 2022   

The most common housing discrimination issue in Montana is landlords not making accommodations for service and assistance animals, according to Pam Bean, executive director of Montana Fair Housing, a private nonprofit that addresses housing discrimination.

Bean said accommodations in housing in the state are protected under the federal Fair Housing Act and Montana Human Rights Act, allowing for both service and assistance animals. She said people with disabilities can request accommodations for disability-related needs.

"Any animal that is needed for a person with a disability is considered a service or assistance animal," she said, "regardless of what the doctor or the household might call it."

Bean noted that service animals help people perform tasks, while assistance animals can help with things such as emotional support. She said housing providers can't charge fees for approved service or assistance animals, even if they normally charge a pet deposit, for instance. Bean said she expects there likely will be a marked increase over the next month in the number of filings with state and federal agencies over the issue of service and assistance animals.

In most cases, Bean said, requests for animal accommodations are meant for people with permanent disabilities. Those in need of assistance on a shorter-term basis can run into issues. Bean gave the example of someone who needs an assistance animal for a year, but is living in a place where pets aren't allowed. She said people have to sort out how the lease is going to be handled, and what will happen to the animal and its owner at the end of that time.

"Can we set the lease up so that it's not interfering with the anticipated expiration of this request? Because we don't want to see the household get slammed with lease-break fees or something like that," she said.

Bean said housing providers have a right to know how a person's disability affects their life, that it will be for a substantial amount of time, and the animal's role in aiding that person. However, they are not entitled to know a person's specific diagnosis. Unfortunately, she said many people look online and pay for a statement saying their pet is an "emotional support animal."

"Obviously, a lot of those are fraudulent, and so consumers are really wasting money by going to those sites," she said. "And housing providers are wondering, 'Is this an acceptable form to verify disability?'"

Disclosure: Montana Fair Housing contributes to our fund for reporting on Disabilities, Housing/Homelessness, Human Rights/Racial Justice, Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021