September 22, 2026 at 5:55 am

She Wants To Turn Her House Into A Home For Adults With Disabilities, But Her HOA Is Fighting Her On It

by Jayne Elliott

house under construction in a residential neighborhood

Shutterstock

If you lived in an HOA neighborhood, would you have a problem with a neighbor opening a home to care for disabled adults within your community, or would you think that’s a big problem?

In this story, one woman wants to do that exact thing, but the HOA wants to stop her. They claim she’d be breaking the rules.

The commission got involved and had a very strong opinion.

Keep reading to see how the story plays out.

FHOA: HOA tries to stop foster home from moving into south Fargo neighborhood

The Fargo City Commission granted this permit, but the HOA can still pursue this owner if there’s an actual covenant violation due to fairly typical restrictions on operating businesses where customers ingress and egress to and from the property.

HOA tries to stop foster home from moving into south Fargo neighborhood

Giselle Ishimwe plans to open a foster home in a far south Fargo neighborhood for adults with disabilities battling strokes, brain injuries and dementia.

The HOA isn’t happy.

The Golden Valley Homeowners Association (HOA) says the facility goes against their HOA “covenant” and asked the city commissioners to overturn the permit that would allow Ishimwe to run a group home in a residential neighborhood.

Commissioners, in a 3-2 decision, voted in favor of the 4-bedroom foster home.

While commissioners all agreed that it was important to allow residents with disabilities options to live in neighborhoods instead of just in nursing homes, some felt that the decision was too rushed.

The commission has a different goal than the HOA.

The commission’s job isn’t to follow HOA guidelines…

“We are really trying to integrate disabled people into the community,” Preston said, noting that the city’s focus is to create neighborhoods for all that are a mix of various ages, incomes and abilities.

This project is one step closer to that, she said.

It’s pretty cool to hear about an HOA not getting their way!

Let’s see how Reddit responded.

This person shares her experience with disabled neighbors.

2026 09 17 at 11.15.10 AM She Wants To Turn Her House Into A Home For Adults With Disabilities, But Her HOA Is Fighting Her On It

Another person points out a potential problem.

2026 09 17 at 11.15.33 AM She Wants To Turn Her House Into A Home For Adults With Disabilities, But Her HOA Is Fighting Her On It

Here’s another concern.

2026 09 17 at 11.15.45 AM She Wants To Turn Her House Into A Home For Adults With Disabilities, But Her HOA Is Fighting Her On It

This person shares their opinion.

2026 09 17 at 11.16.11 AM She Wants To Turn Her House Into A Home For Adults With Disabilities, But Her HOA Is Fighting Her On It

It doesn’t seem like anyone thinks there’s really anything wrong with opening a home for disabled adults in an HOA neighborhood. It sounds like the only real concern is parking, so they’d need to have a big enough driveway or place for the workers to park.

The HOA needs to back off.

Enjoyed this story?

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Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

Follow Jayne's adventures and connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.