PHILADELPHIA – The operator of a Philadelphia group living facility has filed a lawsuit against the city over allegations it has refused to permit a federal office to house refugee children there.
VisionQuest National LTD filed a complaint on May 24 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against the city of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustments alleging deprivation of civil rights.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff has a leasehold interest in a Philadelphia property owned by OYR Realty Partners and has contracted with the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Refugee Resettlement to provide temporary housing for unaccompanied alien children there. The plaintiff alleges the property has been used for years as a residential facility.
The plaintiff alleges the defendants have refused to permit the Office of Refugee Resettlement to place 60 primarily Hispanic child refugees at the location under a contract with the plaintiff. The suit states the city's Board of License and Inspections visited the facility in January and cited the plaintiff for improper zoning, stating that a shelter for refugees required a new zoning permit.
The plaintiff alleges the defendant's decision is partially due to the fact that the children are from Central America and are Hispanic.
The plaintiff is seeking injunctive relief requiring the defendants to permit it to use the facility to house refugee children, all reasonable sums due, attorney fees and court costs. The plaintiff is represented by Peter J. Boyer and Julie M. Murphy of Hyland Levin Shapiro LLP in Marlton, New Jersey.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania case number 2:19-CV-02280