Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., announced his plans to introduce the Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) Act, which would prohibit housing discrimination based on the source of a potential renter’s income, including housing vouchers.
The bill will be introduced in the County Council session scheduled for Monday, October 7. A similar bill was introduced in 2016, but it was defeated by the County Council 6 to 1 with Democratic 4th District Councilman Julian Jones as the only “yes” vote.
“We have both a legal and moral obligation to expand access to affordable housing in Baltimore County, and the HOME Act is a critical piece of the puzzle,” Olszewski said in a statement. “Discrimination of any kind is wrong, and we have to do everything in our power to expand economic opportunity, improve equity, and eliminate pockets of poverty in our communities.”
According to a Baltimore County press release ,The HOME Act would make it illegal for a landlord to refuse to rent to a potential tenant based on the person’s source of income, just as renters can’t be discriminated against based on their race, sex, religion, and other legally protected groups. Source of income can refer to income from a job, public assistance programs, benefits and considerations (such as an inheritance, a pension, an annuity, etc.) or the sale of a property. Source of income includes participation in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program.
A housing voucher is a source of supplemental income that helps low income residents pay for housing. Recipients are required to pay 30 percent of their income on rent, and the voucher provides a bridge to cover the remaining cost of rent. Across Maryland, nearly 70 percent of HCV recipients are seniors, people with disabilities, or children.
The HCV program is a federal program, and the federal government determines the number of overall vouchers available to each local jurisdiction. Baltimore County distributes approximately 5,000 vouchers. The HOME Act would give them greater flexibility in choosing where to live.
Republican Councilman David Marks and Todd Crandell both disagree with the idea of the HOME ACT. Marks released a statement in opposition to the bill.
“I will oppose this legislation, just as I voted against a nearly-identical bill in 2016,” Marks said in a statement on social media
“A healthy balance of rental and owner-occupied housing is natural in many communities. Unfortunately, this and similar legislation may lead to a massive increase of rentals in neighborhoods such as Ridgeleigh, Belmont-Dunfield and Seven Courts that are already nearing a tipping point. My vote will be “no.”
Crandell told the Baltimore Sun that he voted against the 2016 HOME ACT because it was “un-American” to force property owners into federal contracts and is concerned that the legislation will hurt the southeast region of the county.
