Commission finds no reasonable grounds in shelter disability-discrimination claim by resident

The Maine Human Rights Commission voted to adopt the investigator’s recommendation of no reasonable grounds in the complaint filed by Manley (Mandy) Alley against Bread of Life Ministries, a homeless shelter in Augusta.

Alley told commissioners he had Crohn’s disease, had two hospital visits while residing at Bread of Life, and that staff told him he could not return to the shelter with his medical condition. Alley said he called the shelter several times after hospital discharge to reclaim his bed. Attorney Mike Spalding, representing Alley, argued the shelter either applied an unwritten “three-day” vacancy practice or treated Alley as a “high-needs” resident and should have engaged in a reasonable-accommodation analysis before removing his bed.

Bread of Life operations staff told the commission their common practice is to hold a bed open briefly while trying to confirm a discharge date; because the shelter had no confirmed discharge time and a waiting list, staff said they discharged Alley after three days of uncertainty and later offered him the opportunity to reapply and complete pre-intake. The shelter representative said it is encouraged by MaineHousing to keep beds filled and that holding a bed open beyond a short period without clear discharge information is not typical.

Investigator Randall Marks (presenting through staff) found in the written report that the shelter’s contemporaneous progress note documented the discharge and that there was no written shelter policy in the record establishing a fixed three-day rule; the investigator also noted the complainant did not make a contemporaneous accommodation request seeking an explicit extension of the shelter’s usual practice.

Commissioners asked about documentary evidence, the timing of phone calls, and whether the shelter’s practice was written or tied to funding/regulatory expectations. The shelter said there was no hard written three-day policy provided in its materials and that caseworkers sometimes extend the hold where a hospital provides a clear discharge plan.

A motion to find no reasonable grounds carried with Commissioners David, O’Brien, Walker, Douglas and Sanders voting yes. The commission will send a written notice of the result to the parties.