Source of income discrimination: What it is and why it matters

In Athens County, many families and individuals each year are experiencing homelessness or are unstably housed despite having the ability to pay for safe housing. Why? Because the majority of landlords in our county refuse to rent to people who receive government assistance in paying for their housing. This is called “source of income discrimination” — discrimination against people because of the way they pay their rent.

WHAT ARE VOUCHERS?

The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program began in 1974. It is administered nationally by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), so you may have heard Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) referred to as “HUD vouchers” or “Section 8 Vouchers.” In our county, the vouchers are distributed by the Athens Metropolitan Housing Authority (AMHA).

Low-income people pay part of the rent to their landlord each month, and the rest of the rent is paid to the landlord by the voucher program. Voucher recipients generally pay 30% of their family’s adjusted income towards rent.¹

WHO RECEIVES VOUCHERS?

Like many other forms of economic exploitation, source of income discrimination disproportionately affects groups of people who are already vulnerable. Women, people of color, and people with disabilities are more likely to pay for housing using HCVs,² and studies suggest that “No HUD” policies can be a way for landlords to legally discriminate against those populations, even though they are supposed to be legally protected from discrimination. ³

These national trends are visible in Athens County, where HUD reports that 61% of households that receive HCVs are female-led.⁴ Eighty-eight percent have a head, co-head, or spouse of head of household who has a disability. In both Athens City and Athens County, Black families are slightly more likely to be voucher recipients than white families, though the trends are not as dramatic here as in other parts of the state and country.⁵

WHY DON’T LANDLORDS WANT TO ACCEPT VOUCHERS?

To explore this issue, I dug into some nationwide blogs by and for landlords. I noticed two key themes that occurred again and again: first, landlords assumed that HCV recipients would make undesirable tenants. Second, landlords do not want additional oversight by the government over evictions and living conditions. The website Real Wealth Network states that it is “more work to evict difficult tenants” who are HCV recipients because documentation of the reasons for eviction must be sent to the local housing authority.⁶ Spark Rental states that additional inspections are the top reason that landlords do not want to rent to HCV recipients, warning of “Inspections, inspections & more inspections. Did I say inspections? We are talking about a white-gloved, look-everywhere inspection.”⁷ Landlords in many places are used to sliding under the radar due to cursory, infrequent inspections by understaffed code offices, which is why these intensive HUD inspections are particularly troubling.

I have seen the rhetoric thrown around that source of income discrimination laws prevent landlords from selecting their own tenants. However, this is false. Landlords are still allowed to go through their typical selection processes when choosing tenants. Source of income discrimination laws only prevent landlords from dismissing all HCV recipients based on their source of income alone. While some voucher holders will still be turned down by certain landlords, studies show that voucher holders have a significantly higher chance of finding housing in places where source of income discrimination legislation exists.⁸

WHY IS HOUSING AN ISSUE IN ATHENS COUNTY?

While source of income discrimination is harmful to low income renters across the country, it is a particularly significant issue in Athens County due to high poverty rates. Athens County is the poorest county in Ohio, with a 30.7% poverty rate.⁹ According to the United Way, 61% of households in Athens County “struggle to afford basic needs.”¹⁰

In addition, there is a severe shortage of safe and affordable housing in Athens County compared with other areas. According to County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, Athens County has the highest percentage of residents experiencing “severe housing problems” of any county in Ohio. Their study found that 22% of Athens County residents are experiencing “severe housing problems” compared to a 14% average in Ohio.¹¹

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

Right now, Athens County landlords have the choice to deny otherwise qualified tenants based on their source of income. In addition to being low-income, these tenants are also more likely to be women, people of color, and people with disabilities. Thus, discrimination against HCV recipients is also a way for landlords to legally discriminate against those other groups.

However, we have the power to fight back. Activists in other cities and states have pushed for “source of income” to be added as a protected class into non-discrimination policies. Seventeen states have protections for voucher holders.¹² In Ohio, Cincinnati and five cities in and around Cleveland (Linndale, South Euclid, University Heights, Warrensville Heights, and Wickliffe) have protections for voucher recipients.

We can accomplish this goal either by pushing local officials to add language regarding source of income discrimination into city ordinances or by putting a change to city code on the ballot. Ballot initiatives allow citizens to vote directly to change a city’s laws. Check out United Athens County Tenants on Facebook to join local activists in the campaign for fair housing access in Athens County.

Katherine K.

+ posts

Katherine K. is a housing justice activist in Athens County.

Katherine K.

Share this: