Source of income (SOI) discrimination remains a pernicious and pervasive barrier to the success of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program and its housing security, desegregation, and anti-poverty objectives. A federal law, in the form of an amendment to the Fair Housing Act of 1968, is a necessary step towards eliminating this form of discrimination. Based on the successes and failures of state and local SOI anti-discrimination laws, in order to achieve its aims, the federal amendment must include a definition of “source of income,” which should be written in broad, inclusive, language, and explicitly include housing voucher recipients within its scope. This legislation should be accompanied by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rule-makings aimed at subtler forms of SOI discrimination and administrative reform addressing landlord concerns.

Continue Reading Unwanted Dollars, Unwanted Tenants: Source of Income Discrimination and a Proposed Federal Remedy