Who Defines a Family?
“Love makes us a Family.”
The Scarborough Street mansion is home to 8 adults who live together by choice in a small community. Their local zoning laws however forbid so many unrelated adults living together, causing the city of Hartford to tell them they must move out.
“This issue of the government deciding who is a legitimate family and who is illegitimate is unacceptable to us,” remarked a resident.
In a complaint filed in federal district court Wednesday, the residents of Scarborough Street mansion said they are part of a functional, taxpaying household that includes three children.
This is an issue faced by many people who are building urban communities, and co-householding groups. The Fall issue of Communities magazine will be discussing more issues surrounding this and the topic of Community and the Law.
To read more about this case, and for photo credits, go to: http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-scarborough-zoning-0326-20150325-story.html#page=1
Victoria
So glad to see this. I researched Oxford Houses and they avoid zoning laws because af ADA law protection. So many of us probably qualify as disabled that this may be a workaround in the meantime while courts spend years on this. As an RN, we already operate on the understanding that family is who you say it is. Is there a sharp legal mind out there to weigh in on my idea? In WA. State, we have Adult Family Homes for 6 unrelated residents with care needs.