Justice Department Opens Investigation into Rainsville, Alabama for Disability and Religious Liberty Discrimination

Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division launched an investigation into the City of Rainsville, Alabama, to determine whether the City violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), and the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by denying a faith-based organization’s application to operate an addiction-recovery facility in the City.

The Department opened this investigation after receiving a complaint alleging that the City denied a Christian recovery organization the ability to establish a Christian discipleship program, motivated by a desire to keep away “drug addicts.” The program was intended to rehabilitate men with drug and alcohol dependency, and other life-controlling problems.

“The ADA affords every individual, including those on the path to recovery, the dignity and opportunity to fully participate in society,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division stands guard to protect not only the rights of Americans with disabilities, but also the rights of religious institutions to minister to those recovering from substance abuse.”

The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability by public entities. People in recovery from substance use disorders who are not currently engaging in illegal drug use are protected by the ADA. The ADA prohibits public entities from discriminating against people with disabilities on that basis. The FHA further prohibits such discrimination by municipalities in making housing unavailable to people with disabilities.

RLUIPA is a federal law that guards religious institutions from unduly burdensome, unequal, or discriminatory land use regulations. More information about RLUIPA and the department’s work can be found on the Place to Worship Initiative’s webpage.

If you believe you have been a victim of disability discrimination, please file a complaint with the Civil Rights Division online at https://www.ada.gov/file-a-complaint/, or by calling the Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (1-833-610-1264 (TTY)). For more information on the ADA and the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.ada.gov or www.justice.gov/crt.

And individuals who believe they have been subjected to discrimination in land use or zoning decisions may contact the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section at (833) 591-0291 or may submit a complaint through the RLUIPA complaint portal. More information about RLUIPA, including questions and answers about the law and other documents, may be found at www.justice.gov/crt/about/hce/rluipaexplain.php.