Power and Pushback: Addressing Housing Provider Resistance to Emotional Support Animal Protections

In this follow-up presentation to the Community Conversation on 10/28/24, we shift the focus from individual barriers to the systemic challenges presented by housing providers, particularly small property owners, in ensuring the legal protections afforded to tenants with Emotional Support Animals (ESAs). Despite clear state and federal laws, housing providers often disregard these protections, leading to ongoing harassment, pushback, and, in some cases, the denial of rightful accommodations for individuals with disabilities. This presentation will explore how tenants frequently report resistance even after informing them of their rights, highlighting the critical role larger organizations play in advocating on their behalf.

The presentation will conclude by offering strategies for intervention that our organization has found effective. These include drafting reasonable accommodation requests on behalf of our clients, involving governmental agencies, and partnering with animal welfare organizations to identify solutions that benefit all parties. By acknowledging housing providers as actors in the housing ecosystem and uplifting tenant power, this presentation aims to foster a more equitable approach to ESA-related housing issues, ensuring that legal protections are upheld for vulnerable individuals in our community.

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