ATLANTA — The city of Atlanta is cracking down on housing discrimination by prohibiting landlords from rejecting an applicant based on that applicant’s source of income.
The Atlanta City Council approved an ordinance Monday prohibiting such discrimination, which would also include denying the acceptance of government vouchers. The legislation was approved by a vote of 13-2.
District 3 Council member Antonio Brown, the bill’s originating sponsor, believes that the legislation is first and foremost about equity.“Our laws already protect you from housing discrimination based on things like age, gender, and race,” Brown said. “However, using a voucher as your source of income makes you just as much a potential victim of this kind of discriminatory behavior. I think it’s critical that we codify that there’s no place for that in Atlanta.”
District 2 Council member Amir Farokhi, who co-sponsored the legislation, said the measure is an important step forward in addressing the city’s affordable housing concerns.
“I was proud to stand with Council member Brown on this legislation,” Farokhi said. “This is an important, tangible step forward on equitable housing access. Removing barriers to access for would-be renters and buyers allows our neighborhoods to be economically diverse, which is a foundation for economic mobility. Everyone deserves to share in the benefits of our city’s growth.”
The council also approved legislation encouraging the Georgia General Assembly to prohibit landlords statewide from refusing to accept subsidized housing vouchers as rental income.
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[…] income discrimination. That would have applied to all landlords, a step that dozens of cities like Atlanta have already […]