Yesterday,
Cook County Commissioner Jesus Garcia gave an interview on Chicago’s WBEZ radio about the Housing Choice Voucher
program. (HCV). The commissioner is working together with housing advocates to amend the Cook
County Human Rights Ordinance (CCHRO) to include protections for housing choice
voucher holders.
The
Ordinance currently protects individuals from discrimination on the basis of a
person’s source of income (i.e., child support, social security). The CCHRO
however specifically exempts from protection persons with “Section 8” Housing
Choice Vouchers. Presently, housing providers can and do deny qualified
households solely because they have a Housing Choice Voucher. Studies have
shown that housing providers often refuse to rent to voucher holders as a
pretext for other types of illegal discrimination such as race, familial status,
and disability. This keeps African-Americans, Latinos, families, and people
with disabilities in poor, segregated, and low opportunity towns and neighborhoods.
Efforts are being made to get the Cook County Board to soon consider an
amendment making it illegal to discriminate against voucher holders.
Currently,
only 5% of the renter’s in Suburban Cook County have housing choice vouchers. The
majority of voucher holders are families with children, followed by people with
disabilities, the elderly, and veterans. Voucher holders are screened by the
housing authorities, but this does not preclude landlord screening. This ensures
that voucher holders are fully prepared to meet the obligations of tenancy.
The
real estate industry, landlords and some members of the public are opposed towards
the introduction of the voucher basically because of several misconceptions
about the program. The public image of voucher holders is negative. However, it
is often a proxy for racial discrimination. Shanton Mathis, a student and
working mother testified that she was turned away several times by Landlords
who refused to accept her voucher.
In
his interview, Commissioner Garcia said; “I have received a variety of letters.
Some of them are very hostile against people of color, against poor people.
There is an old stereotype that the only people who have housing choice
vouchers are criminals, are lazy people, people dependent on government or that
they’re unruly or dirty.”
However,
if the ordinance is changed, it wouldn’t make landlords automatically rent to
voucher holders. Participation is voluntary. Property owners do not have to
take voucher holders. They only have to give voucher holders an opportunity
to rent. Owners can still run background checks and can deny a voucher holder
based on their rental or criminal histories for example. The change
simply means renters won’t get the door slammed in their faces upon arrival and
people like Shanton Mathis will have the opportunity to provide their children
with a better life.
Thanks for putting this out. The story really helps share the story of trying to make it as a tenant with a voucher. As Shanton and I have often talked about "voucher holders often feel punished and forced to live in lower quality neighborhoods and housing because they are receiving assistance."
ReplyDeleteif you want to live in a nice neighborhood--PAY FOR IT.
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