Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) on June 26 reintroduced the “Fair Housing Improvement Act of 2019” (S. 1986) which would prohibit housing discrimination based on source of income, veteran status, and military status by adding them as protected classes under the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Senator Kaine introduced an earlier version of this bill during the previous congressional session.
Preventing discrimination based on source of income is particularly important for low-income households with Housing Choice Vouchers who are often turned away by landlords unwilling to participate in or unfamiliar with the program. Currently, just one in three voucher recipient families are protected by local and state anti-discrimination laws.
“Where you live has an enormous impact on the opportunities you and your children have in life - everything from educational attainment, to lifetime earnings, to better health to life expectancy,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel in a press release with Senator Kaine. “For too long, discrimination has prevented low-income people from living in neighborhoods of their choice – including communities with jobs that pay decent wages, good schools, healthcare, and transportation – simply because they rely on federal housing benefits to make ends meet. This legislation is an important step towards righting this wrong.”
“I’ve seen firsthand the impact that discrimination has on a person searching for a home,” Senator Kane stated in his press release. “We can no longer allow these barriers to keep families and veterans from finding a stable place to live.”
Read more about the bill at: http://tinyurl.com/y6yk8oeg
Read Senator Kaine’s press release at: http://tinyurl.com/yy5k639d