Hanif and Nurse ask about policy reform and emergency repair authority
Hanif asks whether policy reform is needed so ramps can be built despite landlord delays. Nurse notes other agencies like HPD can make emergency repairs and bill owners, and Kamuf Ward says this is an area for interagency discussion.
No, I totally understand that, that piece.
I'm trying to understand through just our line of questioning here whether there's some policy reform that needs to get made while, like, sure, the landlord's going to be chattel.
and we need to collect all of this documentation, but the ramp's gotta get built, no matter what.
Like, you're here, this is unlawful at this point, because we are an ADA accessible, and a city that follows
ADA accessibility no matter what.
So there has to be a cut through system.
I'll go ahead.
Yeah, just to build on what you're saying, I know that other city agencies have the authority to go in and make emergency repairs, for example.
And in our district, we ask HPD to come in all the time when a landlord is being non-cooperative, and it is not a year-long process.
You know, if something's happening, they will go in and do the emergency work and then bill the owner.
And I'm wondering what authority that could be extended here.
Yeah, I mean, I think that the difference is like being a service providing agency versus an anti-discrimination enforcement agency.
But I think, you know, this is probably an area of interagency discussion of kind of what are the tools to the extent that the undue hardship is financial, obviously.
Funds for building ramps.
But as the assistant commissioner was saying, you know, we can, we can order a settlement and we can find a violation, but in enforcing that is, is much more challenging than, you know, finding the violation.
of the law.
And I think it's also different with, you know, buildings that are being built now that are, to your point, ADA accessible as a different ballgame than a building where it might be architecturally infeasible to build the ramp at the correct angle.
And so then, you know, we will try for temporary solves or
where it's the only solution, you know, a ramp that can be installed and moved.
But yeah, I think this is an area for kind of ongoing conversation.