St. Louis County Council May Bar Landlords From Rejecting Tenants With Federal Subsidies

Members of the St. Louis County Council are mulling whether to prohibit the rejection of tenants because of how they earn their money.

Councilwoman Lisa Clancy introduced legislation to add source of income to the county’s fair housing codes. Currently, property owners cannot discriminate or turn anyone away from applying on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

Clancy, D-Maplewood, said the proposal would not only apply to people who get federal subsidies, such as Section 8 housing vouchers, but also people who are dependent on Social Security or veterans benefits.

“There’s a lot of reasons why someone could turn them down,” Clancy said. “But it can’t be solely because they are on an alternative source of lawful income or, like is already true, their race, gender or sexual orientation.”

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