From the Charlotte Observer:
A coalition of Charlotte affordable housing advocates wants to ban landlords from refusing tenants because they pay with government vouchers or other forms of income, such as disability payments or child support.
Charlotte would be the first city in North Carolina to pass such protections and ban “source of income discrimination.” The term refers to disparate treatment of tenants who pay rent with federal and local housing vouchers or other subsidies. Landlords might set different application terms, deny applications, or refuse to show a unit to these tenants.
These protections are often associated with federal Housing Choice vouchers, commonly known as the Section 8 program, but local supporters of the proposed change say it would also protect renters using veteran supportive housing vouchers, disability payments, child support or student loans.
Landlords who won’t take these payments make it even harder to find affordable housing in Charlotte, said Fulton Meachem, CEO of Inlivian, formerly the Charlotte Housing Authority.
“It is really difficult for a family to find housing here in Charlotte under normal circumstances,” Meachem said. “You don’t want to create one more hurdle for a family, for a veteran that’s looking for a place to live. And this is an unnecessary hurdle.”
Read the Charlotte Observer's article "Housing groups want to ban this ‘unnecessary hurdle’ for renters with vouchers," featuring Inlivian.