We, the undersigned individuals and organizations engaged in housing justice advocacy, submit this petition to members of the Lincoln City Council and urge you to introduce an ordinance to ban source of income discrimination in the city of Lincoln.

As the law in Lincoln currently stands, prospective tenants can be turned away from rental units simply because of the way they would pay their rent, for example, by paying rent with a housing voucher. Source of income protections would end this practice and prevent landlords from discriminating against prospective tenants on the basis of their source of income. Ending source of income discrimination is essential for recipients of public housing assistance. Housing choice vouchers are a critical tool in helping low-income families establish stability and escape the cycle of poverty. But right now, Lincoln offers no protection to these families, allowing landlords to impose unfair conditions or outright refuse to rent to them.

Recipients of public housing assistance usually have to wait a very significant amount of time (anywhere between 6 months to multiple years) to receive assistance, must pass rigorous background checks, and have a proven track record of being responsible renters. Despite these strict safeguards, nearly 1-in-3 voucher recipients in Lincoln lose their benefits before they are able to find a home to rent. However, studies have shown that in a jurisdiction that has ended source of income discrimination, approximately every 1-in-5 voucher recipients are unable to successfully use their voucher. That means that if Lincoln were to ban source of income discrimination, we could essentially cut Lincoln’s voucher failure rate in half, providing much-needed stability and assistance to low-income families.

You can see source of income discrimination easily demonstrated if you look at rental listings. Frequently, landlords will put in their housing advertisements “No Section 8” or “housing vouchers not accepted.” And while those who are seeking to utilize a housing voucher might be the example you hear the most, source of income discrimination is not just used against recipients of public housing assistance. It is also used to deny housing to those living on other benefits like Social Security or disability, veterans affairs supportive housing vouchers, single moms who rely on child support payments, and even hourly workers without a guaranteed monthly salary. The lack of source of income protections impacts many of those in Lincoln who are struggling most to make ends meet as prices continue to rise.

Source of income discrimination also allows landlords to engage in the worst kinds of racial discrimination, refusing to rent properties in desirable areas to minorities while blaming their decision on economic factors other than race, and statistics prove that this tactic disproportionately impacts Black and Latino renters. Ending source of income discrimination would make Lincoln a more inclusive city and actively reduce segregation in our community.

States, counties, and cities across the country have outlawed source of income discrimination without any negative impact on property values or community safety. As of March, 2023, 21 states including the District of Columbia and 126 local jurisdictions have outlawed source of income discrimination. Included in that list are St. Louis, Phoenix, Denver, Minneapolis, Columbus, and Memphis. Banning source of income discrimination in Lincoln is a common sense reform that would help protect thousands of local families without any cost to responsible property owners or local communities. 

Lincolnites need and deserve these protections. The undersigned organizations and individuals implore the Lincoln City Council to act to ensure community members can better afford the rising cost of housing, promote inclusivity, and create a more equitable and prosperous future for all residents of Lincoln.