New Hope Releases Statement on Revoking Rental Licenses of Two Group Homes
A woman named Claudia Fuglie spoke in public forum at the New Hope council meeting on Monday night, sharing concerns about recent comments made at a New Hope City Council meeting.
“Folks with disabilities are not ‘those people.’ When anybody says ‘those people,’ you are labeling people with a disability regardless of who they are,” said Fuglie.
Fuglie was referring to comments made in a public meeting when the city revoked rental licenses for two group homes after numerous police calls to the property. See story here.
Mayor Kathi Hemken also read a statement in regards to the action. The entire statement is posted below.
Statement released by the city of New Hope on January 9:
The City of New Hope recognizes the importance the more than 60 group homes within our city have in providing safe and accessible housing for individuals with disabilities. We stand firmly against discrimination of any kind and recognize the value of all community members. New Hope is committed to ensuring our community is safe and welcoming for all persons regardless of disability, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, status concerning public assistance, creed, familial status, or national origin.
The City did not take the decisions to revoke the rental licenses for the properties located at 3840 Boone Ave and 3957 Wisconsin Ave lightly. The City made several attempts to work with the property owner to resolve concerns and to engage resources to assist in the resolution of the concerns. Public hearings were held where the property owner had the opportunity to present his case. After reviewing the facts of the situation presented at the hearings, including frequent harassment of neighbors, significant threats of violence, ongoing police calls to the residences, and the death of a tenant, it was the unanimous decisions of the New Hope City Council to revoke the rental registrations for both properties in the best interest of safety for both the tenants and the neighboring property owners. Section 3-31 specifically states that it is the responsibility of the owner to assure that the tenant not engage in disorderly behavior in the home. It is the purpose of 3-31 to assure that rental housing in the city is decent, safe and sanitary and is so operated and maintained as not to become a nuisance to the neighborhood or to become an influence that fosters blight and deterioration or creatives a disincentive to reinvestment in the community. We are committed to prioritizing the utmost safety and well-being of all our residents and community.
