When the time comes to intervene on behalf of women and children, Keenya Robertson doesn’t buckle under pressure. The nonprofit organization, Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence Inc., where she serves as president and CEO, was one of five plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit filed in 2005 against Cornerstone Residential Management Inc., the nation’s fifth largest housing provider.
The landmark Milsap v. Cornerstone lawsuit alleged Cornerstone, et al, violated the Fair Housing Act by establishing occupancy restrictions for all of its properties and limiting occupancy to less than two persons per bedroom. As a result of occupancy restrictions, families who exceeded them were denied housing or paid more for their housing because they were forced to live in larger units.
“One of [Cornerstone’s] properties only allowed one child in each bedroom … a significant limitation to the number of persons that could occupy a unit. When we looked a bit further, we found that their occupancy standards were more restrictive than the two persons per bedroom, which is deemed unreasonable by HUD [Housing and Urban Development]. When you restrict the number of persons that can occupy a unit unreasonably, you restrict the availability of housing opportunities to families that have children … these particular housing properties were intended to benefit low and moderate income families. After five years of litigation, we were able to, prior to going to trial, come up with a settlement agreement with Cornerstone.
“I am pleased that the agreement will benefit families in need of affordable housing opportunities in and outside of our service area. I give full credit to the single mothers who took a stand, not only for themselves and their families, but [also] for others. I am, however, disappointed that it took five years to accomplish something that seemed simple and apparent at the outset,” says Robertson, who received her law degree from Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
While Cornerstone denied violating the federal and Florida Fair Housing Acts or engaging in any wrongful conduct, the terms of the settlement include undisclosed relief for the individual plaintiffs and implementation of policies that will increase the availability of affordable housing opportunities to families with children at over 7,500 affordable housing units managed by the company.
“Persons who are seeking housing [are confident about what] they can accomplish when they stand up for what they want. I call those three [plaintiffs] my sheroes because they didn’t have to. When we stand up together in an effective voice, we can initiate change,” says Robertson. –yvette caslin
