Residents and Families United

On May 31, 2022, the United States filed a Statement of Interest in the consolidated case of Residents and Families/Empire v. Zucker. Residents and Families/Empire challenges a New York State regulation limiting admission of individuals with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) into segregated settings called Adult Homes, by alleging that the regulation violates the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The State issued the regulation in conjunction with the United States’ settlement in U.S. v. New York, No. 13-cv-4165 (E.D.N.Y. 2013) and consistent with its Office of Mental Health’s determination that Adult Homes “are not clinically appropriate settings”  for individuals with SMI, “nor are they conducive to the rehabilitation or recovery of such persons.” The Statement of Interest explains that the regulation does not violate the Fair Housing Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act.