Income discrimination bills take pressure off voucher holders

For about a year following the pandemic, Ashia Wilson and her son, Jordell, were living day-to-day on friends’ couches, in hotel rooms and occasionally in her car.

Seeking greater stability, the pair checked into the City Rescue Mission’s Women and Children’s Shelter on Cedar Street in September 2022. At the time, Wilson was working two jobs and taking classes at Lansing Community College.

“Between that and trying to get my son to and from school, it was just a really stressful time for us both and an emotional roller coaster for my son,” Wilson explained.

Their stay at the shelter lasted eight months. During that span, Wilson applied for dozens of rental units, but she was rejected for all but three due to her status as a recipient of the state’s Housing Choice Voucher Program, which provides rental assistance for qualifying low-income renters.

A recent set of bills passed by the Legislature this summer looks to remedy this issue.

The five-bill package comprises Senate bills 205, 206 and 207, plus House bills 4062 and 4063. Taken together, they prohibit landlords with five or more rental units from denying or terminating a tenancy based on the renter’s source of income, which includes housing vouchers and other renter assistance programs as well as social security and veteran benefits. They also provide mechanisms through which violators can be penalized.

State Rep. Emily Dievendorf, D-Lansing, has long championed these bills and others related to housing and tenant rights. Dievendorf cited another case of a constituent who was denied affordable housing despite having sufficient income because it depended on Social Security

“These bills are logical and necessary because they recognize that, a lot of times, our obstacles to housing are related to paperwork or documentation,” Dievendorf said. “As long as there’s payment, we should not have a problem.”

Wilson, 34, was fortunate enough to find a landlord who was willing to give her a chance. She and her son moved into a south Lansing home off Miller Road in May 2023.

“It felt like such a relief. I was in shock. I felt like I was dreaming. But honestly, after I moved in, I got depressed. I had been in survival mode for so long that I felt overwhelmed. I didn’t know how to come from out of that,” Wilson said.

Wilson’s period of homelessness came less than two years after she served a 90-day prison sentence in 2019 resulting from a 2017 property damage charge. While some landlords were initially hesitant to rent to someone with a record, Wilson said her difficulty in finding a place to live primarily stemmed from her voucher.

“This voucher was supposed to be my golden ticket out of homelessness. It’s like, this is guaranteed money. What landlord wouldn’t want that? I don’t have an eviction history, my credit is good, but so many people like me still get denied. You just keep hoping the next one will give you a chance,” Wilson said.

Erika Farley, executive director for the Rental Property Owners Association, worked with legislators to help fine-tune the bills. While her organization took a neutral stance on the package as passed, she said many of its 2,000 members “actually prefer Section 8,” referring to the portion of the federal Housing Act that governs vouchers for rental assistance.

“They have a guaranteed payment, and they feel like they are getting good residents through the program,” Dievendorf explained.

Farley said Dievendorf and other legislators were receptive to several amendments suggested by landlord advocacy groups like hers, including the stipulation that the bills only apply to landlords who own more than five rental units

“Most of the issues that we have with housing discrimination can be traced back to larger property owners, many of whom don’t even live in the state,” Dievendorf said. “Some of our smaller property owners are often also struggling to pay their mortgages. They are not generally the bad actors in this crisis.”

Farley said her group took a neutral stance on the package because it was unable able to get all the amendments it had sought.

“We’re appreciative that they also understand where we’re coming from, and that’s one reason, as opposed to going into opposition, we wanted to get to that neutral position,” Farley said.

Doug Benson, president of the Rental Property Owners Association of Mid-Michigan, said he had wanted to see a few income sources excluded.

“Some of these temporary agencies that can help you out for a month or two might be used as sources of income. That makes it a little bit difficult, because you want to see consistency,” he said.

“But I’ve really got no problem whatsoever with a source of income that’s legitimate and recognizable — something that we’ve seen before in the marketplace, like a voucher.”

As for Wilson, she took up a new role as a manager for the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness.

“When I first started, it just blew my mind. I didn’t even know that people were really passionate about these issues, because when I was faced with them, I just felt really alone,” Wilson said.

Through her advocacy, she hopes to help others avoid the same fate.

“I’m really happy that it passed because all I can think about is the veterans, the women, children and men that are in shelters,” she said. “So, this really is major, and I’m excited for folks, because everybody deserves a fair chance and a place to live.”

—  TYLER SCHNEIDER