Missouri Law Would Ban Protections for Housing Voucher Users

A proposed law approved by the Missouri State Senate this week would invalidate tenant protections created by cities, reports Clara Bates in the Missouri Independent.

“The bill takes aim at ordinances passed in several Missouri cities to protect tenants from discrimination based on the source of their income — especially tenants who use federal housing choice vouchers, known as Section 8 vouchers, to pay rent,” Bates explains.

Opponents of the law say it will hurt low-income renters and make finding housing even more difficult for voucher recipients, and that landlords can still deny tenants based on reasons other than source of income, such as violent criminal histories or low credit scores.

According to Bates, “Enforcement in states and cities where the protections have been passed has been somewhat mixed, but studies have found that overall the protections modestly improve outcomes for voucher holders.”

The federal housing voucher program faces uncertainty after the Trump administration indicated it intends to cut federal funding.