The Pressing Need for Source of Income Protections in Michigan’s Housing Market

A mother raising three children alone, a young couple working multiple jobs to make ends meet, and a 78-year-old man on a fixed Social Security income all rely on the Housing Choice Voucher Program to find safe and affordable housing.

Unfortunately, landlords in Michigan are legally allowed to refuse vouchers as a form of payment for rent for these families, even though the program is intended to assist them. This can be a significant obstacle for many Metro Detroiters who have gone through the extensive waiting, documentation, and paperwork required to receive a voucher in the first place.

Throughout most of Michigan, landlords or property managers can refuse an eligible tenant solely because they do not want to accept a housing choice voucher. This leaves many voucher holders with limited options when it comes to securing housing.

Housing Choice Vouchers and Affordable Housing

What is the Housing Choice Voucher Program? Perhaps you have heard of Section 8 housing — a federal rental subsidy program that started back in the 1970s through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Today, the goal of this program is to give eligible low-income individuals and families a voucher to use at a rental property of their choice. In turn, the voucher program helps to subsidize a portion of their rent. As long as the federal government has the credit worthiness to make payments, the landlord receives up to 100 percent of the rent owed by a voucher holder tenant. The rental unit must pass an inspection and meet the HUD established Fair Market Rent rate for the specific area. In short, this program has rigorous oversight to ensure safe, affordable housing for participants.

No State Protections for Voucher Holders in Michigan

Although there are no federal protections for voucher holders, 20 states and the District of Columbia have implemented state level protections. Unfortunately, Michigan is not among them. At the state level, discrimination based on a potential tenant’s income source is not prohibited. Despite the lack of state protections, ten cities in Michigan, including Ann Arbor, Jackson, East Lansing, Lansing, and Ypsilanti, have enacted ordinances to protect residents against income source discrimination. In areas that have passed these ordinances, landlords must treat all legal sources of income, including vouchers or rental subsidies, as legitimate ways to pay rent. Landlords who violate these ordinances can face significant penalties, including civil fines, attorney’s fees, and injunctive relief.

Negative Stigma of Public Housing and Rental Subsidies

In Oakland County, there were over 1,200 people experiencing homelessness in 2021. This includes adults, children, families, seniors, veterans and those with disabilities. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that no one is entirely safe from crisis or tragedy. The negative stigma attached to public housing and rental subsidy programs continues to harm our most vulnerable neighbors. Landlords who accept housing vouchers reap benefits, which include guaranteed rental payments. The only real requirements for landlords to accept housing vouchers are to ensure their properties are up to code and that their bank accepts deposits from the state or federal government.

Push for Source of Income Protections

Today, more and more organizations and elected officials are starting the discussion of source of income protections and why they are so important; in fact, multiple municipalities in Oakland County have passed their own anti-source of income discrimination ordinances.

Consider this: How difficult would it be to hold down a job without a place to call home? How challenging would it be to ensure your children attend school regularly, keep up with medical appointments, and carry out routine tasks such as grocery shopping and cooking meals without a home? 

At Community Housing Network, we work hard to find solutions for families facing hardship because we believe in fair housing for all families, regardless of their source of income. 

Housing is shelter. Housing is healthcare. Housing is a fundamental human right that must be protected.