Life is very different for those who have a severe handicap or live with someone who does. Social events are rarely, if ever, attended. Most outings are spent at a medical office or hospital. Transportation is restricted to a specialized vehicle that comes with a hefty price tag. And vacations are nearly out of the question.
Above all, these families deserve compassion and kindness. But all too often, life in an HOA shows us how cold-hearted, selfish, and ridiculous some people can be towards others.
At nineteen years old Eric Doyle has suffered 500 bone fractures due to a disease over which he has no control. He can’t go out dancing or downhill skiing like others his age. But because his parents purchased an ambulance for his transportation he can occasionally go to the movie theater or to a BBQ dinner.
But Eric and his family had to go through a nightmare of threatening letters, fines, and a battle with the Harbor Cove Homeowners Association in Las Vegas and their First Columbia Community Management, Inc. property manager. Listen to this! They demanded he re-paint the ambulance and remove the lights because that’s what THEY wanted in order to keep their perfect little HOA in pristine condition. You know, so the property values don’t go down. HA!
Harbor Cove Homeowners, welcome to decreased property values with your $65,000 settlement to Eric Doyle and all the media exposure that comes with it! Keep your noses in the air and your hearts on dry ice. But never forget the day could come when life isn’t perfect for you either!
Kick ’em harder must be the motto in the HOA and property management rule book when they know somebody can’t stand up and fight back! And threaten them with fines, liens, and lawsuits until you bankrupt them or run them out through your golden gates.
Readers, we must never stop fighting against these injustices! We are better people with bigger hearts than to let others be hurt like this.
The Doyle family has now moved to a non-HOA community with the $65,000 check in their hand. I wish them the very best in their HOA-free life!
Thanks for sharing this story Nila. I’m just disgusted about how we treat our disabled folks in this country. Props to HUD for taking this HOA out!
You’re welcome, Dave.
I am very familiar with the lives of families with disabled loved ones. The less fortunate person does not have the disease, disability,or challenges exclusively,the entire family has it. Absolutely nothing they do from basic daily activities to going out to dinner at a restaurant is easy, if even possible at all.
They should never be subjected to the inconsideration, disrespect, and heartlessness of their neighbors!
As I read that story, I could only try to imagine how this young man feels knowing his parents are devoting their entire lives to taking care of him. And he’s helpless to try and stop the neighbors from harassing his parents. How he must feel knowing they are being threatened with letters from attorneys, fines, embarrassment, stress, and shamed for being loving parents and doing everything possible to give him a better quality of life. That would feel horrible at any age but at 19, I can’t imagine what is going through his mind and the guilt he must be feeling.
$65,000 is nothing for what this HOA has put this family through. Just peanuts. I wish the board members would have been ordered to work with handicapped children for sixty days twenty-four hours per day seven days per week. On the sixty-first day they wouldn’t even notice that ambulance or give it a second thought.
The lack of concern and compassion that I observe in these HOAs is downright frightening. And sickening. If my next neighborhood has an ambulance in every driveway and a wheelchair ramp out every door that will be just fine with me. And I’ll gladly volunteer to paint their houses bright yellow with multi-colored polka dots of that’s what they want to help brighten their days!!!