Geneva resident says she filed complaints to HUD, despite their ruling that timeline doesn’t warrant investigation

Even though HUD closed its brief probe into allegations of racism within the Geneva Housing Authority, citing a delay in complaints filed against the authority, the individual who filed them says she did so numerous times.

Melinda Robinson, a Geneva resident, says she filed numerous complaints of discrimination against a Geneva Housing Authority employee in recent years.

In fact, HUD alleged that there was such a delay in reporting the incidents that they would not even launch an investigation into it.

“HUD takes discrimination complaints very seriously. Federal fair housing complaints must be filed within one year of the alleged discrimination under the Fair Housing Act,” a HUD spokesperson told the Finger Lakes Times. “HUD’s New York Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity reviewed the complaint regarding the Geneva Housing Authority and determined that the complaint was filed outside of the established time frame.”

“I have filed numerous complaints and been ignored,” Robinson explained in an email to the FLT. She kept exchanges had with HUD, and the agency even responded to some of her complaints, which appears to run contrary to the notion that complaints were not filed in a timely fashion.

Meanwhile, leadership from the Housing Authority doesn’t fully-understand HUD’s ruling on timeline. “It must work like a statute of limitations clause,” Executive Director Andy Tyman said. “By closing the HUD portion of the case, it does not mean that we are in the clear. We need to complete our review.”

Another meeting, most of which will be spent in executive session, is scheduled for Wednesday.

Staff Report

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