By Donna Lamb

At its most recent meeting, the City Council passed a bill that will amend New York City’s human rights law so that, when applying for an apartment, a person cannot be discriminated against based on the legal source of income they would use to pay their rent. In other words, whether the money comes for a Section 8 Rental Voucher Program, Social Security, or some other government program, if an applicant has the ability to pay, landlords will no longer be able to turn them away.

Council Member Bill de Blasio, the bill’s prime sponsor and chair of the General Welfare Committee, explained that this was a complex piece of legislation, and his committee had held several hearings over the last three years to perfect it. They also used the entire legislative process to bring the industry together with tenants, government agencies, and landlords to streamline and improve the Section 8 Rental Voucher Program because it was clear it was a real problem for tenants and landlords alike. "This will help thousands of people who desperately need affordable housing," stated de Blasio. "We’re making sure that in an incredibly difficult housing market, people who get that precious Section 8 voucher or other types of funding can use it.

"But the bottom line is, this bill is about stopping discrimination," de Blasio continued. "It should be unacceptable in New York City for someone to be discriminated against because of the type of their income. The point we’re making here is that whatever your lawful source of income is, you cannot be discriminated against."

He went on to note that this bill will also help put an end to other types of discrimination that might be disguised as prejudice regarding income source but is really about something else.

Following the vote, Brooklyn Council Member Darlene Mealy expressed her pleasure that the bill will become law. "Anyone and everyone has a right to fair housing no matter what," she declared. "Even if a person has a subsidy from Social Security, Section 8, or any other program that can help them afford a roof over their head, the landlord should rent to them. But discrimination has been going on, and I’m glad there will now be a law specifically against it."