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Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved an ordinance change that creates a protected class based on source of income, as well as survivor status of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking or stalking. The change also disallows discrimination based on the immigration status of prospective tenants.
It means that landlords won’t be able to discriminatory deny someone housing just because their rent money will come from a housing bond, severance package, subsidy, subsidy, housing bond. veterans affairs support housing and more.
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Commissioner Amber Sellers shared that when she was in graduate school, she lost her job and received a housing voucher. She requested one month, but received two months’ payments. In those two months, she was able to get unemployment, find a new job and continue her studies, and eventually she made her way into the job she is fortunate to have today.
“That was because I didn’t have a landlord who thought less of me,” she said. “I didn’t lose my lease because I had assistance at some point in my life.”
Many large out-of-state landowners have stopped accepting coupons in Lawrence, Commissioner Brad Finkeldei said, but he said in speaking with those landlords, they said they accept them in cities or states that require them to accept coupons, and they don’t don’t accept them in places that don’t. He said he thought it was a pretty compelling argument.
He said he has spoken to many smaller owners as well and has heard many fears.
“The more you look inside, I think a lot of the fears don’t come true,” said Finkeldei.
He said he hoped landlords wouldn’t raise their rents to avoid the voucher system.
The commissioners approved the ordinance change by a 5-0 vote. It enters into force on June 1st.
Not many people enjoy making one-piece puzzle pieces, Sellers said, and not too many people enjoy making five-piece puzzles. The housing problems facing the city of Lawrence are 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles, she said.
“I feel like[the effective date of June 1]gives us time to start breaking down the silos and start having the discussions – discussions that we’ve had. Some of us just didn’t come to the table,” Sellers said. She urged community members to bring their chairs to the table and to be slow to speak and quick to listen.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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Mackenzie Clark (s/he), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be contacted at mclark (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com. Read more about her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
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Two residents of the North Lawrence homeless camp were charged with felonies after a fight Saturday, but other residents and a lawyer say the alleged victim should not have been at the support site at all.
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Lawrence city commissioners will vote Tuesday on proposed changes to city ordinances that supporters say could help people secure housing. They will also decide whether to include tenant protections based on immigration status.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
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Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
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Two residents of the North Lawrence homeless camp were charged with felonies after a fight Saturday, but other residents and a lawyer say the alleged victim should not have been at the support site at all.
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