Examining the impact of source of income protection on the Housing Choice Voucher program

Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
We are nearly 100 years removed from the federal government’s decision to draw red lines on maps to segregate people by race and more than 50 years since the 1968 Fair Housing Act attempted to undo the damage. Yet several forms of housing discrimination continue today (Rothstein, 2017). One such practice is source of income discrimination, in which landlords refuse to rent to potential tenants because of their lawful source of income. The most common source of income rejected by landlords are Housing Choice Vouchers distributed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Tighe, Hatch & Meade, 2017). Presently, 33 states do not have statewide source of income laws that protect Housing Choice Vouchers;17 states and the District of Columbia have statewide or district-wide laws that do (both numbers current as of May 2023). This research will explore the extent to which these laws impact the Housing Choice Voucher program by examining key data provided by HUD between the years 2015 and 2023: which states are making the most of their Housing Choice Voucher budget; which states are leasing the most units; which states are seeing more people entering and exiting the program; which states are using the most vouchers; and which states have the shortest average wait time for vouchers. If analysis of the data shows that a relationship exists between the presence of laws and the performance of the program, the results could inform policy at both the state and local level. A strong case could also be made for further legislation, perhaps at a national level, that outlaws this tool of housing discrimination.
Description
Keywords
Cities, Equality, Government, Housing Choice Vouchers, Policy
Citation