[Peace-discuss] Council tables housing change till 10/07

[Robert Naiman]

Council tables housing change
Beth Gilomen, The Daily Illini
Posted: 10/4/06
The Champaign City Council delayed consideration of a measure that
would affect the city's Human Rights Ordinance and change the way
landlords were able to evaluate potential tenants.

If passed, the measure would have taken away the provision prohibiting
landlords from excluding potential tenants who receive federal housing
aid in the form of Section 8 vouchers. The council tabled the measure
until October 2007.

Members of Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort and other community members
gathered holding signs with pictures of councilmen Ken Pirok (District
5) and Tom Bruno (At-Large) with the word "Landlord," in an effort to
influence council members on the proposed amendment to the city's
Human Rights Ordinance. The amendment would delete Section 8 housing
vouchers from the definition of "source of income."

Section 8 housing vouchers subsidize rent for low-income families and
the disabled. Under the voucher, tenants pay 30 percent of their
income toward rent and utilities, while subsidies pay the rest to the
landlord.

In action taken by the council in March, Section 8 vouchers were
formally included in the definition of "source of income." The
inclusion prohibited landlords from discriminating against candidates
for housing on the basis of payment by voucher.

Randall Cotton, a member of Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort, said that the
housing voucher system affects a disproportionately high percentage of
African-American people when compared to the general population.
Cotton said that removing housing vouchers from the Human Right's
Ordinance is "de facto racial discrimination."

The amendment appeared on the agenda at the request of Councilman
Pirok through a council bylaw that allows actions to be included by
the request of only one council member.

Pirok said he was absent from the vote held in March, but wanted the
opportunity to vote on the issue.

Pirok said he is currently the landlord of one property and that he
has always voluntarily accepted Section 8 tenants with no problems.

However, he said, doing so requires landlords to "agree to all kinds
of things that are outside of normal business practices."

He said that under the agreement, it is much more difficult for
landlords to evict Section 8 tenants, even for legitimate needs. He
also said that if the tenant leaves in the middle of a lease, the
housing authority does not pay the remainder of the lease.

"All this does is replace one type of discrimination with another," Pirok said.

Councilman Michael La Due (District 2) said he believed that Pirok's
concerns, along with the response of the public, shows that there is a
need for dialogue on the topic.

Myths about what is and is not allowed under Section 8 agreements and
concessions by both sides must be worked out in the time given by the
extension, La Due said.

However, Councilwoman Gina Jackson (District 1) said she was "rather
disturbed by the proposed repeal."

"We have had (Section 8 vouchers) in Champaign since 1976, and you
would think by now someone would have figured out the details,"
Jackson said.

She said she felt that removing vouchers from the definition of income
could lead to excluding other forms of government aid, such as Social
Security disability benefits and veterans' pensions and compensation.

Mayor Gerald Schweighart said he hoped that in the coming year, all
misunderstandings in the program could be worked out so that the city
can arrive at a win-win situation for both landlords and tenants.