Commission finds no reasonable grounds in tenant harassment and accommodation dispute with Sanford Housing Authority

The Maine Human Rights Commission voted to find no reasonable grounds in a housing discrimination complaint brought by Amanda Minks against Sanford Housing Authority and an individual tenant.

Minks told the commission that a neighboring tenant repeatedly smoked marijuana in shared spaces, used racial slurs and engaged in stalking behavior that she said interfered with her ability to live in her apartment. She said she sought a transfer and that housing staff had not provided an alternative unit that met her needs; she also described difficulties with communication and what she called inconsistent responses from housing staff.

Sanford Housing’s counsel, Attorney Snyder, said Sanford Housing has documented and responded to Minks’s complaints, has issued lease violations and acted when appropriate, and has granted the complainant a reasonable-accommodation request after receipt of a doctor’s note. Snyder said the housing authority is limited by inventory constraints and cannot evict or relocate a tenant without meeting the statutory standards for eviction.

Investigator New Berlin told commissioners that the written record and interviews did not show unlawful discrimination tied to disability or a protected characteristic, though the investigator acknowledged Minks’s account of difficult and sometimes threatening behavior. The investigator noted other tenants have sought restraining orders against the same individual, but that the court filings presented to the investigator did not show permanent restraining orders in the complainant’s favor.

Commissioners said they found the complainant’s presentation courageous but that the commission’s legal standard requires proof tying adverse housing actions to a protected characteristic; they adopted the investigator’s recommendation to find no reasonable grounds. The commission will send a written notice of the decision to the parties.