A bipartisan bill tackles landlords' unwillingness to rent to housing voucher holders.
Senators Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) have introduced legislation to expand the Fair Housing Act in an effort to improve access to affordable housing.
The Fair Housing Improvement Act of 2018 specifically targets discrimination based on source of income—i.e., use of housing vouchers—as well as veteran status. It would add these factors to the list of categories explicitly protected under the law, which currently include race, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability.
"The move comes just a few months after the Department of Housing and Urban Development launched a push to get more landlords to accept housing vouchers, citing two studies that 'most' landlords do not accept housing vouchers and therefore deny affordable housing opportunities to those who need it most," Ben Lane reports in Housing Wire.
About 2.2 million veterans and low-income households currently receive federal housing vouchers, Lane notes.
FULL STORY: Prominent senators begin bipartisan push to expand Fair Housing Act
San Jose Approves Tenant Protections, Studying a Ban on Voucher Discrimination
The city of San Jose, California is crafting regulations to give renters and low-income residents more rights and access to fair housing.
Fair Housing Funding Cuts Open Door to Discrimination, Advocates Say
Federal cuts to grants for fair housing advocacy organizations could lead to ‘widespread’ housing discrimination as enforcement resources are reduced.
Planning Fair: How Fair Housing Intersects with Planning
The successful implementation of fair housing laws requires the active participation of urban planners, land use boards, elected officials, and the wider planning community.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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