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Approve a Source of Income Protections Policy for Town-Supported Residential Developments.
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Staff:
Department:
Sarah Osmer Vi?as, Director
Affordable Housing and Community Connections
Nate Broman-Fulks, Assistant Director
Emily Holt, Affordable Housing Development Officer
Overview: The proposed Source of Income Protections Policy would require residential developments that have received Town resources for affordable housing, including funding or land, to accept all lawful sources of income, including Housing Choice Vouchers, for payment.
Recommendation(s):
That the Council approve the Source of Income Protections Policy for Town-Supported Residential Developments.
Context: The Town Council's newly adopted FY 2023-25 Strategic Focus Areas and Goals include a focus on Affordable Housing & Housing Production in order to increase housing across a range of income and housing types to achieve equitable housing outcomes for historically marginalized populations. This includes increasing the availability of affordable housing. Housing Choice Vouchers and similar housing subsidy programs provide valuable financial assistance for income-eligible families seeking affordable housing. Having a sufficient supply of units that accept these subsidies is an important way to expand the local supply of affordable housing.
Many households using vouchers, and other lawful alternative sources of income, face discrimination from landlords. County staff have reported that despite incentive packages and outreach efforts to landlords, about 15 percent of vouchers go unused (approximately 100 vouchers) and the average lease up time is consistently more than 100 days.
Many state and local governments across the country have adopted policies that prohibit landlords from denying rental applications based on the type of income they are using to pay rent.
Because NC state law does not include source of income as a protected category, NC municipalities are limited in w...
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