Alma Gardens in Hempstead settles housing discrimination complaint

A Hempstead landlord has agreed to pay a Long Island fair housing agency $7,500 after an investigation found prospective renters were told the complex didn’t accept government vouchers to pay rent.

Alma Gardens, at 36 Hilton Ave., settled claims from Long Island Housing Services that the landlord violated state law in 2021 when a real estate broker said the complex wouldn’t accept payment through the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

The settlement is the latest to follow a Long Island Housing Services investigation into landlords and real estate agents who refuse to accept government vouchers. Other complaints have involved buildings denying applicants seeking to use government programs to help low-income renters, people with disabilities and families.

Discrimination against people seeking to use Section 8 vouchers limits renters’ options in an already expensive environment to find an apartment, said Ian Wilder, executive director of the nonprofit fair housing agency in Bohemia.

The federal program pays a portion of a person’s rent based on their income and allows them to find housing that suits their needs.

“The government has chosen to help provide housing for individuals who are having difficulty affording it by giving them a voucher to go out into the market,” Wilder said. “If housing providers in the market refuse to take those vouchers, [they] become worthless.”

Alma Gardens denied any wrongdoing or discriminatory behavior and entered the settlement to ensure its real estate agents undergo fair housing training, said Katherine Santos, an attorney at Valiotis & Associates in Long Island City, who represents the building owner.

The company also plans to roll out a new non-discrimination policy that has been approved by the state Division of Human Rights.

“Alma Gardens LLC looks forward to continuously improving its services to its tenants and its relationship with the Long Island local community,” she said in a statement.

The case stemmed from a 2021 incident in which a prospective renter inquired about a two-bedroom apartment in Alma Gardens listed in an online ad for $2,250, according to a lawsuit filed by the state Division of Human Rights in February 2025.

The renter called to ask about the apartment’s availability and whether she could use her Section 8 voucher to pay a portion of the rent, but the leasing agent who answered the phone said the building did not accept any program, according to the lawsuit.

Long Island Housing Services investigated in 2021 using fair housing testers posing as renters who were also told the building doesn’t accept government programs, including by Queens-based real estate broker Hubert Mitchell.

The state Division of Human Rights named Alma Gardens and Mitchell in a lawsuit filed last year in Bronx County Supreme Court related to the LIHS complaint.

In October 2023,  the state Division of Human Rights said it found “probable cause existed to support complainants’ allegation of discrimination.”

The state agency discontinued its case against Alma Gardens and Mitchell on July 13, court records show.

Mitchell did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday afternoon.

The state Division of Human Rights received 746 complaints related to source-of-income discrimination last year, according to its annual report.

Wilder said his agency frequently fields complaints from renters who get turned away after seeking to use vouchers.

“We see it continually across Long Island, across the state and nationally,” Wilder said. “It’s a continuing long-term problem and since these are national programs, it needs a national solution.”

By Jonathan LaMantia

jonathan.lamantia@newsday.com@jonlamantia

Jonathan LaMantia covers residential real estate and other business news on Long Island. He previously covered the business of health care for Crain's New York Business.