State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

'Section 8 Need Not Apply': States and Cities Outlaw Housing Discrimination

Governing: Washington state is the latest jurisdiction to pass a law to protect low-income renters from housing discrimination.

House Bill 2578, which will go into effect at the end of September, makes it illegal for landlords to reject applicants based on their use of public assistance, including Section 8, Social Security or veterans benefits.

"We have a housing crisis in Washington. In Seattle, the market is so tight that I would hear about tenants getting [evicted] just because they were using public assistance. There were some property owners that weren’t even accepting veterans," says Democratic state Rep. Marcus Riccelli, who introduced the legislation.

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