St. Peters Settles Lawsuit Over Group Homes

St. Peters agreed to pay $80,000 to settle a lawsuit which alleged that the city violated the Fair Housing Act by denying a group of disabled women an opportunity to live in a group home, according to a story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

The city also has changed city ordinances that once specified that group homes must be at least 2,500 feet from one another, a change required by the settlement agreement.

Last week, St. Peters Board of Aldermen amended the code of ordinances to delete the density requirements. The ordinance also defines a process by which people with disabilities can apply for reasonable accommodations from the city's zoning laws, as required in the settlement. 

Read more about what else the city was required to do here.  

St. Charles County Coalition of Service Providers, a group of organizations that support citizens with disabilities, have been working to educate municipalities in St. Charles County about federal laws relating to group homes.

The city of St. Charles made changes to its zoning codes in February to come into compliance with federal law. 

Read our earlier story:
Group Homes: Organizations Push Cities to Change Laws