Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have passed source of income anti-discrimination laws that aim to protect families who use federal housing assistance programs.
Marcella Roberson is ready to move. She and her 17-year-old son have been looking for a new apartment for four years because, she says, they’ve suffered domestic violence in their current living situation in Camden, New Jersey.
She hopes her federal housing voucher can bring them a new home and a chance at safety. But landlords have rejected her applications for roughly seven apartments in the past two years.
“I know they don’t want to rent to me. … They see my voucher and don’t care about the situation I’m in or what I can do,” Roberson, who works a few gig economy jobs, said in an interview with Stateline. “[Landlords] see my voucher as a red flag, as a sign that I’m unreliable.”
Roberson’s experience reflects the journey of many recipients of federal housing choice vouchers, known as Section 8 vouchers, because some landlords have concerns about the source of residents’ income.
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have passed source of income anti-discrimination laws that aim to protect families who use federal housing assistance programs, according to the Poverty & Race Research Action Council, a national advocacy group. Five others have similar laws that have been weakened by courts or apply in limited situations. These laws form a strong foundation for tenants, experts say, but they can take years to make an impact and often are difficult to enforce.
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