Minneapolis Lawmakers Pass Controversial Housing Ordinance

Friday, March 24, 2017
William Bornhoft
Minneapolis Patch

The Minneapolis City Council passed an ordinance Friday prohibiting landlords from denying renters because they have a Section 8 housing voucher.

Section 8 is a government program aimed to increase affordable housing choices for very low-income households by allowing families to choose privately owned rental housing.

The measure passed Friday is intended to put voucher holders on equal footing with other people seeking housing options in Minneapolis.

The Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance has prohibited discrimination based on receipt of public assistance for decades. City officials say including a specific provision prohibiting discrimination against Housing Choice Voucher participants continues that tradition.

Minneapolis joins nearly 60 jurisdictions across the country that have similar measures providing Housing Choice Voucher (or Section 8) protections.

The ordinance has drawn some opposition from apartment owners and landlords, who believe it will hurt their business. KSTP reported that Bernadette Hornig told the council committees that Section 8 polices need reform: "It is irresponsible to pass this ordinance and say we'll deal with the technical implications later," Hornig said.

"The devil's in the details with these government programs, and there are a lot of critical technical details that have serious technical consequences if this passes now."

The ordinance, sponsored by Council Vice President Elizabeth Glidden and Council Members Abdi Warsame and Lisa Goodman, will take effect May 1, 2018. The Minneapolis Civil Rights Department will oversee enforcement of the ordinance.

Under the ordinance, landlords will only be obligated to consider renting to voucher holders.

That means a landlord can’t refuse to rent, impose unique standards, or otherwise treat HCV holders differently from tenants without vouchers.

Landlords retain their ability to screen the voucher holders like other tenants using legal criteria.

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