Organizations call for ban on source of income discrimination

Lexington, Ky. (WTVQ) –Several organizations in Lexington are working to make sure everyone has access to decent housing, including those using Section 8 vouchers.

The Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky, New Vista and Kentucky Fair Housing Council, along with several others, spoke in support of a ban on source of income discrimination at a press conference Friday morning.

“Currently at the moment landlords can decline individuals who have vouchers based on income,” said Dylan Schell, Regional Director of Community and Housing at New Vista. “Individuals that receive vouchers are folks who have economic marginalization. They’re individuals that need support and they finally got support in the form of a voucher which will allow them to afford their housing.”

According to the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Housing Authority website, there are more than 3,000 families that receive Housing Choice Vouchers, or Section 8 vouchers. And there are over 800 landlords that participate in the rental assistance program.

But according to Schell, “The only thing is roughly 4% of landlords accept vouchers. Meaning 96 % of the time when they call asking if a property will accept a voucher they will hear no.”

Shay woods, with the Kentucky Fair Housing Council, was one of those people.

“So I had a voucher for about three years,” said Woods. “I really didn’t get out of the situation, I had to give up my voucher. And I was just looking for an affordable two bedroom for myself and my child. And I literally called so many places Richmond, Kentucky and in Lexington. Just trying to see who would accept the voucher. Honestly, majority of everyone said no.”

Woods says many required a lot of loopholes and those that did accept the voucher were either on the north or east side of Lexington, and were not in the safest neighborhoods.

“A ban on income discrimination would expand access to affordable housing for low-income people, who use third party payments,” said Diane Fleet, Associate Director at Greenhouse 17. “The policy would prevent landlords from implementing blanket policies rejecting all tenants who use vouchers or third party payments.”

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council is hosting a meeting on Tuesday, November 14 to listen to the public’s opinion on the policy. The meeting will be at 6 p.m.