East Lansing investigating discrimination complaint against DTN Management Co.

EAST LANSING − East Lansing officials are investigating a complaint that DTN Management Co. discriminated against a tenant who received COVID Emergency Rental Assistance.

The complaint was filed jointly by East Lansing residents, attorney and Ingham County Commissioner Mark Grebner (D-East Lansing), and his niece, Maria Yokich-Grebner, in August. It states Yokich-Grebner tried to renew a 12-month lease with DTN in East Lansing, but an employee told her in June that DTN was no longer renewing leases for anyone who received COVID Emergency Rental Assistance, or CERA.

“Complainants believe DTN accepted CERA funds from many tenants in order to fill East Lansing apartments during the period MSU was essentially shut down by the pandemic, and that their policy is now to get rid of those largely non-student renters in favor of students, now that MSU is back in full operation,” the complaint states.

DTN's Director of Marketing Denise Todd told the State Journal Thursday that "The record is clear that DTN has offered renewals to nearly everyone who received CERA."

"DTN is committed to Fair Housing and has demonstrated that they have not discriminated based on source of income or any other protected class," she said in an email. "We will continue to work with the Human Rights Commission to provide any additional information to close the investigation."

Lansing Township-based DTN has been operating for more than 50 years, and its property management division's portfolio includes more than 8,000 units, according to its website.

The East Lansing Human Rights Commission is asking residents who believe they have been discriminated against for receiving CERA funding by DTN or any other property owner to contact the city, officials said Tuesday.

Yokich-Grebner lived in an East Lansing DTN property, was employed full-time and had two small children as of the complaint filing, according to the complaint.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was forced to change employers and her earnings were impacted. With DTN’s encouragement, she applied for and received funds under Michigan’s CERA program, which paid her owed rent and allowed her to keep her apartment, the complaint states.

Since CERA expired, Yokich-Grebner has been able to work full-time and has paid rent without difficulty. Her DTN lease expired in July, according to the complaint.

Before the lease expired, she contacted DTN to ask for a renewal and was orally assured it would be no problem, according to the complaint.

But on June 29, a leasing manager of the apartment complex, Jessica Garcia, messaged Yokich-Grebner, “I pushed super hard to get you renewed however DTN is no longer renewing anyone who received CERA. I’m super sorry! Let me know if there is anything I can do for you.”

The complaint says DTN has refused to let Yokich-Grebner sign a lease.

“DTN has shown great reluctance to place its position in writing, preferring to have its employees interact with Maria Yokich-Grebner orally. In no case has DTN denied that Jessica Garcia represented their position in stating that DTN ‘is no longer renewing anyone who received CERA’, nor claimed that she misspoke,” the complaint states.

Todd said the employee's communication was an error and proof of such was provided to the Human Rights Commission.

Yokich-Grebner was offered multiple opportunities to renew her lease, but later during her lease term she was not offered a renewal. The company does not share information regarding her specific leases publicly, but did provide information to East Lansing Attorney Anthony Chubb and the Human Rights Commission, Todd said.

Yokich-Grebner and Grebner have asked East Lansing officials to investigate DTN to determine if it acted illegally, and if it has, require DTN to formally acknowledge that and take steps to inform DTN’s employees and tenants of their rights under the ordinance, the complaint states.

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The investigation by the Human Rights Commission began with Chubb during a September meeting, according to meeting minutes.

Last month, Chubb said he needed more information from DTN and wanted to continue collecting evidence before pushing for any ordinance violations. The commission asked Chubb to collect more information.

People who believe they have been discriminated against can contact Elaine Hardy, East Lansing director of diversity, equity and inclusion, at ehardy@cityofeastlansing.com or 517-319-6942.

“We are dedicated to ensuring City policies are upheld, and the investigation is ongoing,” Chubb told the State Journal Sunday.

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority had about $1.1 billion in federal pandemic rental assistance to distribute to help people who fell behind on rent and utilities during the pandemic. As of July, the agency had disbursed more than $834 million.

Contact Bryce Airgood at 517-267-0448 or bairgood@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: East Lansing investigating discrimination complaint against DTN Management Co.