After lengthy legal delays, enforcement of a five-year old Minneapolis ordinance to protect Section 8 voucher recipients from discrimination was recently begun. Section 8 vouchers, which are used to help cover rental expenses, are issued through the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority from funds provided by the federal government. The Minneapolis ordinance aims to protect families with low incomes who are discriminated against or denied housing by landlords because they use the vouchers.

Despite protections from the Minnesota Department of Human Rights for things like social security and public assistance benefits, renters who use Section 8 housing vouchers are not protected against discrimination by state law.

Elana Dahlager, assistant supervising attorney with the housing unit at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA) noted, “The Minneapolis ordinance is different in that it is explicitly saying that to deny someone solely on the basis of the fact that they get the Section 8 voucher is discriminatory. In Minneapolis, I think that that’s a major form of discrimination.”

In addition to prohibiting landlords from rejecting potential renters because of Section 8 use, they must also provide all tenants the same services and amenities no matter how they pay their rent.

Dahlager encourages renters to file complaints if they think they’ve been discriminated against so the matter can be investigated by looking for patterns with landlords and other evidence. Discrimination is not always obvious. Read more in the Sahan Journal article, “Minneapolis city leaders urge renters to report discrimination against Section 8 vouchers.”