News | Assistance Animal Information Now Available from HUD

Below we provide some information on some new helpful resources related to Fair Housing and assistance animals These are sponsored by HUD's Office of Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity (FHEO).

1. HUD has prepared a fact sheet to educate housing providers, including HUD grantees, such as representatives of entitlement communities, PJs, and PHAs, and HUD Housing Counseling Agencies, and others involved in housing transactions, as well as persons with disabilities who seek reasonable accommodations related to assistance animals.

This fact sheet also provides individuals with disabilities information about their fair housing rights related to requests for assistance animals and how to file a fair housing complaint if they believe their rights have been violated.

2. This fact sheet is intended to be a supplementary to the webinar titled "Assistance Animals and Fair Housing: Navigating Reasonable Accommodations." 

According to HUD, "the purpose of this webinar is to educate housing providers, including HUD grantees, such as representatives of entitlement communities, PJs, and PHAs, and HUD Housing Counseling Agencies, and others involved in housing transactions, as well as persons with disabilities who seek reasonable accommodations related to assistance animals.

"This webinar will also provide best practices for housing providers and individuals with disabilities to use when addressing and making requests for reasonable accommodations to allow assistance animals in housing where individuals with disabilities reside or seek to reside.

"At its completion, viewers of this webinar will have a better understanding of their responsibilities when they receive reasonable accommodation requests related to assistance animals. It will also provide persons with disabilities with information about their fair housing rights related to requests for assistance animals and how to file a fair housing complaint if they believe their rights have been violated."

Webinar Agenda

• Introduction and overview of assistance animals under federal law
• Description of fair housing laws related to assistance animals, including the definition of disability and nondiscrimination requirements
• Processes for requesting a reasonable accommodation for an assistance animal
• Processes for responding to reasonable accommodation requests
• A video presentation including animated skits with examples of violations of the law when a reasonable accommodation request for an assistance animal is made and how to avoid and address such violations
• Key takeaways & concluding remarks

Webinar Presenters

• Demetria McCain: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (HUD, FHEO)
• Kate Cawvey: Program Analyst, Policy & Legislative Initiatives Division (HUD, FHEO)
• Sarah Myers: Equal Opportunity Specialist Fellow, Policy & Legislative Initiatives Division (HUD, FHEO)