Housing discrimination by landlords based on the source of income has been a common trend in many states across the USA over the years. Landlords do not readily accept tenants with Section 8 housing vouchers, or those who depend on alternative income sources and benefits such as veteran benefits and social security (Pacheco, 2018). Section 8 is a project-based program that involves a 20-year term contract between government housing authorities and developers designed to give rent subsidies for tenants on apartments. The program covers people with emergency needs such as the homeless, domestic violence victims, intimidated witnesses to crimes, and children under the care of social services.
Many witness accounts reveal that such tenants find it very difficult securing a decent apartment because when they leave the program apartments, they are provided with Section 8 vouchers which are usually rejected by landlords. For instance, when the New York City Housing Authority released vouchers to long waiting tenants, most of those tenants did not find suitable apartments because landlords rejected the vouchers (Tan, 2018). Some of the tenants who opted to stay in their original apartments so that they could use the new vouchers to make rent payments still found rejection from landlords who cite the difficulties they encounter dealing with the housing authorities. Landlords also argue that such tenants who depend on alternative income sources cause property damage, hence the reason for their rejection. In the current skyrocketing housing costs, the only resource available to bridge the affordability gap for families of median income is the Section 8.
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To counter this prevailing situation, some states are embracing the passage of legislation that bans discrimination of tenants based on sources of income. Previously, state and federal law only prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, etc. but did not forbid discrimination based on the source of income (Pacheco, 2018). As the Seattle Times report, the legislation will prohibit the rejection of potential or current tenants by landlords based on their sources of income. Proponents of the ban argue that landlords have previously used Section 8 to discriminate tenants based on color, class, and single parents. The new legislation addresses all stakeholders’ concerns including mitigation funds, renovation reimbursements, and repair funds in case of property damage by tenants. Currently, there are about 12 states with anti-discrimination laws based on the source of income.
References
Pacheco, A. (2018, February 12). Washington Legislature considers banning housing discrimination based on income source. The Seattle Times . Retrieved from https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/washington-legislature-considers-banning-housing-discrimination-based-on-income/
Tan, S. (2018, April 26). Housing law bans discrimination based on income subsidies, citizenship status. The Buffalo News [New York]. Retrieved from http://buffalonews.com/2018/04/26/proposed-housing-law-would-ban-discrimination-based-on-income-subsidies-citizenship-status/
