The City of Cleveland is closer than ever to protecting renters from discrimination based on their source of income, or SOI. City Council may soon consider amending Cleveland’s fair housing law to ban landlords from rejecting tenants simply because they use a housing voucher to pay rent. Councilman Kerry McCormack says he expects to introduce Cleveland’s ordinance in the coming weeks. Colleagues Anthony Hairston and Jenny Spencer will reportedly be signing on as co-sponsors.
Understanding housing vouchers
There are a number of different types of housing vouchers that help renters afford housing that meets their needs. For instance, an individual or family might receive a voucher because of their disability, veteran status, or financial need. One of the most common types of voucher programs is the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP).
The Housing Choice Voucher Program, also known as Section 8, aims to allow low-income tenants to live in the housing and neighborhood of their choice. Through this program, voucher holders pay 30 percent of their monthly rent, while the subsidy covers the rest. Vouchers help families to afford decent, safe housing that meets their needs. Often, families hope to use their vouchers in well-resourced, high-opportunity communities that they otherwise could not afford. In theory, this program would open up the doors to opportunity for low-income residents, making communities more diverse and equitable.
Local source of income protections
In Northeast Ohio, a handful of communities have adopted source of income protections in their local ordinances. Communities that have protected vulnerable tenants by banning SOI discrimination include Linndale, South Euclid, University Heights, Warrensville Heights, and Wickliffe. That is to say, tenants in these communities cannot be turned away from a housing opportunity solely because they have a Housing Choice Voucher or another rental subsidy.
However, in most of the state, it is still legal for landlords to refuse tenants with vouchers. Local housing advocates and some city council members—like Kerry McCormack—want to change that. When landlords are allowed to ban tenants simply because of how they pay their rent, the promise of “housing choice” is removed from the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
To me, it’s simple. You shouldn’t experience discrimination based on how you pay your rent. And let’s be real. We know some landlords use source of income as an excuse not to rent to certain populations and to advance systemic racism. It’s exactly the kind of discrimination we need to root out.
– Councilman Kerry McCormack, in a recent cleveland.com interview
If City Council approves this new legislation, Cleveland could soon join the handful of communities that have taken a stand against housing discrimination.
Housing vouchers change lives.
The devastation of housing discrimination is all too familiar to many of the folks who seek assistance from The Fair Housing Center. Below, Willie tells how important it was for him to find stable housing in order to maintain his sobriety. He had completed his treatment program, was working two jobs, and was determined to stay on the right path. Receiving a housing voucher was his golden ticket to a better life.
At least, it should have been. Housing vouchers can be lifesaving tools, but when the opportunity to use those vouchers is taken away, voucher holders—like Willie—are left feeling frustrated and discouraged. When Willie started his housing search, he quickly realized just how pervasive source of income discrimination is.
As Willie’s housing search continued, the intersection between systemic racism and source of income discrimination became increasingly clear. He suspected that, in addition to his voucher, his race had something to do with the denials he was getting. Willie decided to try an experiment of his own.
With the help of a white friend, Willie continued making calls to housing providers. He wanted to see whether landlords’ acceptance of vouchers changed depending on the perceived race of the voucher holder. This experiment confirmed his suspicion. In two out of the five properties they called, housing providers welcomed his white friend, who claimed to have a housing voucher, while turning Willie away.
What the research says
But don’t just take our word for it. Research shows that source of income discrimination is a major barrier for renters with vouchers, and impedes racial integration across the U.S. According to a 2017 study by The Fair Housing Center, nearly 80% of survey participants in Cuyahoga County said that landlords’ refusal to accept vouchers was a barrier to finding housing. This was the most reported challenge.
SOI discrimination contributes to systemic racism. Nearly 90 percent of housing voucher recipients in Cuyahoga County are Black. Therefore, rejecting housing vouchers disproportionately harms Black residents—whether intentional or not. Not to mention that voucher discrimination limits housing choice and makes the region more racially segregated.
In a recent interview with Spectrum News 1, The Fair Housing Center’s associate director, Kris Keniray, said that the potential ban on voucher discrimination is an important step in combatting systemic racism.
Folks tend to be concentrated in a small number of deeply segregated neighborhoods in the city. And we found that when we looked elsewhere in the city that housing providers were denying folks with vouchers 95% of the time. And that really doesn’t allow for mobility for folks to pick and choose the neighborhood they want to live in, a home that meets their family’s needs, a community that meets their needs.
– Kris Keniray, associate director of the Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research
Make your voice heard.
Local fair housing advocates have long been pushing for SOI protections in Cleveland and surrounding areas. Now, the public can help make this a reality. Those who have experienced SOI discrimination first-hand—or who want to help ban SOI discrimination—can make their voices heard here.