INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A woman filed a lawsuit against the Indianapolis Housing Agency and others, accusing them of discriminating against her for having a disability. 

Kristina Hornaday-Alberts, who talked to I-Team 8 last October about the difficulty of accessing some federal benefits, claims IHA failed to issue her the proper housing voucher (denying her additional subsidies), ensure safe housing, and provide reasonable accommodations for her handicap.

Hornaday-Alberts was severely injured in a car accident and now requires either a walker or wheelchair.

The 30-page lawsuit, filed in February, claims Hornaday-Alberts has made unanswered requests for accommodations around her home, like ramp access and a grab bar in the bathtub, since 2018. 

The filing says the lack of accommodations caused her to fall multiple times; once even breaking her leg, requiring surgery. It names IHA, the Central Indiana Council on Aging, and Hornaday-Alberts’ landlord as defendants, among others. 

The lawsuit claims IHA also failed to issue proper housing vouchers so Hornaday-Alberts could have a live-in aide to help her manage her physical condition. Failure to issue the proper voucher has directly caused her to lose out on handicap accessible housing and caused her to pay higher rents, the lawsuit says.

After first agreeing to an interview with I-Team 8 about the lawsuit, Hornaday-Alberts declined to participate on advice of her attorneys. IHA did not respond to I-Team 8’s request for comment.

Theoretically, Hornaday-Alberts should be able to use an escrow account through the Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) program to pay for renovations on a new apartment to make it handicap accessible. But IHA lost access to FSS accounts in a 2024 cyber-attack, and at last check still wasn’t able to issue FSS payments.

IHA has blamed cyber-attacks for losing access to a number of client records, even telling I-Team 8 it isn’t sure how many people live at some of its apartments.

The agency initiated a partial shutdown last September as it worked to update recovered databases.

Following complaints, Hornaday-Alberts claims IHA and her landlord retaliated against her by initiating surprise inspections and ending all communication.

The filing also makes claims of race discrimination, though lacks any direct examples of being denied services based on race. 

The lawsuit is seeking a preliminary injunction, damages, and a jury trial if necessary.