Atlanta passes legislation requiring landlords to accept tenants with housing vouchers

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    ATLANTA (WGCL) — The Atlanta City Council approved historic legislation that will impact the cities’ rental markets.

The ordinance, according to a press release from the city council’s office, prohibits landlords from refusing to rent or sell a home based on the applicant’s source of income, including denying the acceptance of government vouchers.

The measure passed on Monday by a vote of 13-2.

Members of the city council believe the ordinance is needed because they said Atlanta is experiencing an affordable housing crisis.

According to the ordinance, 1,055 people lost their housing vouchers, also known as Section 8, between July 2018 and July 2019 because the families could not find suitable housing.

In addition, the ordinance stated the families who were able to find housing during that same period “were primarily relegated to lower socio economic areas with low performing schools and limited access to transportation.”

According to a study by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the denial rate for voucher holders was substantially reduced for cities with similar types of legislation.

“Our laws already protect you from housing discrimination based on things like age, gender, and race,” District 3 Council member Antonio Brown said.

“However, using a voucher as your source of income makes you just as much a potential victim of this kind of discriminatory behavior. I think it’s critical that we codify that there’s no place for that in Atlanta.”

District 2 Council member Amir Farokhi, who co-sponsored the legislation, feels the measure is an important step forward in addressing the city’s affordable housing concerns.

“I was proud to stand with Council member Brown on this legislation,” Farokhi said. “This is an important, tangible step forward on equitable housing access. Removing barriers to access for would-be renters and buyers allows our neighborhoods to be economically diverse, which is a foundation for economic mobility. Everyone deserves to share in the benefits of our city’s growth.”

The council also approved legislation encouraging the Georgia General Assembly to prohibit landlords statewide from refusing to accept subsidized housing vouchers as rental income.

According to HUD guidelines for the Section 8 Program, families pay 30% of their income towards housing and the rest is subsidized by the government.

To read the new ordinance, please click:bit.ly/2SE6YNU.

CBS46 reached out to Mayor Lance Bottoms’ office on her stance regarding the ordinance.

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