DEPARTMENT: Neighborhood and Housing Services Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Ver?nica R. Soto, FAICP, Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Briefing on the creation of a Source of Income Anti-discrimination ordinance in San Antonio.
SUMMARY:
Proposed ordinance would prohibit Source of Income Anti-discrimination going forward for properties that receive incentives or other support from the City of San Antonio.
ISSUE:
Source of income discrimination (SOID), as applied in other cities and states, is the refusal to rent or sell a housing unit to an applicant, or ending a tenancy, based on the applicant's lawful form of income. Lawful sources of income include government or non- profit administered income such as Social Security, spousal maintenance and child support; Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8), Housing Opportunities for Persons with HIV/AIDS (HOPWA), and Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers.
At the federal level, source of income is not a protected status or class under the Fair Housing Act. However, some federal programs, such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, HOME, and CDBG do require recipients to participate in the Housing Choice Voucher program.
In 2015, the Texas legislature prevented cities from adopting ordinances prohibiting landlords from refusing to lease to a person whose source of income includes federal housing assistance, except for veterans. A city can, however, prohibit SOID in properties that receive municipal incentives or other City support. The Planning & Land Development Committee of City Council has directed staff to develop a SOID ordinance that applies to developers receiving City incentives and awards.
The Strategic Housing Implementation Plan (SHIP) process is currently underway and seeks to recalibrate the city's targets, identify funding needs, and develop housing strategies for the next several years to meets the housing targets and needs of the community. Through this pr...
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