![New Haven couple files racial housing discrimination complaint New Haven couple files racial housing discrimination complaint](https://i1.wp.com/ctmirror-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024_0606_THM_NHLAAPressconfrencehousing-2-scaled.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
A New Haven couple who were denied housing by one of the city’s largest mega-landlords because of a decades-old history of misdemeanors announced Thursday that they have filed an official complaint alleging racial discrimination.
The case, now before the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, could set a precedent and have broader implications for landlords across the state when deciding whether to rent to prospective tenants. Proponents of a bill that died during the 2024 legislative session that would have explicitly prohibited consideration of certain criminal records in housing applications are already pushing for changes in the 2025 legislative session.
Mark Griffin was convicted of two counts of third-degree assault, a Class A misdemeanor, on September 20, 1989. More than 34 years later, he and his fiancée, Cheryl Rabe, are struggling to find a place together.
Griffin and Rabe, along with their legal representatives from the New Haven Legal Aid Association, addressed a crowd Thursday morning outside the office of the landlord who denied their request: Mandy Management on Whalley Ave. in New Haven .
“Two minor convictions that are more than three decades old do not reflect who he is as a person or how he will be as a tenant,” Rabe told the crowd. “Instead, they simply refuse to rent to him or us as a couple because of his criminal record. We demand an end to this type of discrimination…Everyone should have access to state housing and affordable housing.”
NHLAA attorney Amy Eppler-Epstein echoed and expounded on that.
“(The) kind of policy of refusing to rent to someone because of a criminal conviction, no matter how long ago, what it was for, what may have happened in the intervening 34 years, any other extenuating circumstances, any information about what kind of person and tenant would be, that constitutes racial discrimination, because that type of policy has a disparate impact and falls more heavily on people of color,” Eppler-Epstein said.
Yudi Gurevitch, Mandy’s chief executive and son of the company’s founder, disputed accusations of racial discrimination. He said in an emailed statement that the company does not discriminate against tenants or potential tenants for any reason prohibited by law.
“At Mandy Management, we are committed to providing equal housing opportunities,” Gurevitch wrote. “To maximize transparency and fairness in rental decisions, we apply the same selection criteria and procedures to every applicant so we can make informed decisions to protect our rental community and promote fairness and inclusion.”
Since taking over the company from his father, his goal is to continually improve Mandy and he has not been fined in criminal housing court for violations during his tenure, Gurevitch said.
A case against Mandy Management and P2P Realty
Griffin and Rabe are looking to move in together before their wedding in July 2025. Through their recently awarded Housing Choice Voucher, the couple began looking at apartments in New Haven. Given their huge real estate portfolio in the area, they quickly found Mandy Management.
Mandy owns more than $125 million worth of property in New Haven, primarily in the city’s low-income neighborhoods. About 40% of her tenants receive Section 8 rental subsidies.
After touring the properties, the couple filled out the company’s application and paid the $35 fee on April 4, 2024. Four days later, they were denied.
The couple said Rabe passed all aspects of the background check on the application, while Griffin passed all aspects of the check with the exception of criminal history. His misdemeanor convictions from more than three decades ago were the only charges listed, they said.
Griffin said he has had no involvement in the criminal justice system since then. and has served for a decade on the board of directors of his current cooperative: Seabury Cooperative, a housing complex of 87 housing units within two separate buildings.
After being rejected by Mandy, the couple continued their search. P2P Realty Group, also named in the complaint, refused to work with them given Mandy’s previous refusal.
P2P Realty could not be reached for comment Thursday.
“When I was sentenced in court, the judge didn’t tell me it was going to be life,” said Anderson Curtis, senior policy organizer for ACLU-CT. “They said my sentence had an end date, a release date. But is that really true? If Mark (Griffin) is still denied housing because of his criminal record, well, that amounts to a perpetual punishment. I didn’t know he was going to have to carry this record with me for the rest of my life. I didn’t know he was going to have to carry that record for the rest of his life.”
Discrimination on the basis of race in obtaining housing violates both state law and the federal Fair Housing Act. The NHLA, the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut and the Connecticut Tenants Union maintain that Griffin and Rabe’s case does just that.
“Because people of color are disproportionately incarcerated in our state, housing is even more difficult,” Curtis said. “79% of formerly incarcerated people have been denied housing due to a criminal conviction. And guess what? That is also the recidivism rate in our state. I wonder why.”
A call to revive bill 5242
In the recently concluded legislative session, Connecticut Democrats introduced House Bill 5242 that would have strictly limited landlords’ ability to consider certain criminal convictions from more than three years ago. However, if the conviction occurred within three years prior to the date of the application, the bill would require owners to consider the nature and severity of the crime, as well as information regarding rehabilitation, their ability to be a good tenant and the time elapsed since the conviction.
The bill would also require landlords to notify prospective tenants of this additional review and allow them to provide relevant mitigating information. This was not done in Griffin and Rabe’s case with Mandy and P2P, they said at Thursday’s press conference.
“The idea is that landlords shouldn’t be able to look back indefinitely on all convictions forever,” Eppler-Epstein said. “They should be limited to considering convictions that have to do with how you are going to be as a tenant, and tenants should be given the opportunity to show what are called extenuating circumstances: changes in their life, show what was happening in the when they received their sentence and what has happened since then.
“To show who they are as a person and why that conviction, just because they have a conviction, doesn’t mean they should be denied housing. “People should be given the opportunity to do that.”
Supporters in the crowd applauded and cheered as Eppler-Epstein concluded.
Representative Attorney Amy Eppler-Epstein speaks on behalf of the NHLAA and its representative Mark Griffin (far right) at a press conference held outside the Mandy Management office building in New Haven on Thursday, June 6, 2024 They spoke out to draw attention to the company that denied Griffin housing because of his misdemeanor charges more than three decades ago. Credit: Tabius McCoy/CT Mirror
House Bill 5242 ultimately passed out of committee, but was not called to the House or Senate. However, “Mark and Cheryl are here to fight,” Rabe told the crowd, his fist raised.
By bringing the case, they hope to “inspire” a change in the law next session and reintroduce a bill similar to 5242. Many lawmakers agree.
“Homelessness is a very common experience for people working to become productive citizens after a conviction,” said Senate President Martin Looney, co-author of HB 5242, in a written response to CT questions. Mirror. “Limiting the use of criminal records to reject applicants would help resolve this situation and many more. I look forward to the General Assembly passing this legislation next year.”
While the language of the future bill remains “pending discussion,” lawyers and advocates reaffirmed the injustice of perpetual punishment for people who have already been tried.
“This is about changing the conversation across the state, because this is a state of huge disparities,” Curtis said. “In 20 minutes, we can be off the road and in million-dollar homes. But this is happening right now… Denying these people the right to housing, well, that’s the problem that’s happening right now. But the broader conversation is: What does safe housing look like?”
Curtis ended his speech by leading a chant of “people, not prisons.”
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