Landlords Are Denying Displaced Veterans Over Housing Vouchers
Source: Indianapolis Fire Department / IFD Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS — You probably recall the massive fire that happened at a housing facility for struggling veterans in Indianapolis a few weeks ago.
The fire displaced 48 homeless veterans who are now having to find a new place to live. But, that’s been proving to be a challenging task. Many are getting housing vouchers from the state to help them pay for a new place to live, that is the main reason why many landlords are denying them.
It’s because of a state law passed in 2015 that allows landlords to deny potential tenants who are on income subsidies. The law prohibits local cities, counties, and towns from denying landlords the ability to say no on that basis.
“Probably not just Indiana, but any other state,” said State Rep. Renee Pack (D-Indianapolis) on WISH-TV. “I think it’s important that our courageous veterans have access to safe housing. At this point, we can just deny a veteran housing based on their income status.”
Pack calls it a form of housing discrimination that needs to be addressed. She introduced legislation in the previous session to address this very thing, but the bill did not even get a hearing let alone a vote.
Though the fire that happened at veteran’s shelter in Indianapolis was tragic, according to Pack, she does hope it sheds light on the issue she says she is trying to rectify.
“I think that after this horrific fire (at the HVAF shelter), we might have a better chance (at adding protections) because it’s making legislators aware of how quickly these veterans can lose their livelihood,” Pack said.
Landlords and other housing providers say that proposed laws like Pack’s add further regulation to the industry and would also subject them to more federally required inspections. They are also worried about possible delays in voucher payments, being limited from raising rents as high as the market will allow, and the possibility of problem tenants.
At the moment, Helping Veterans and Families of Indiana, Inc. is trying to raise as much money as possible to help the 48 impacted veterans find a place to live without the help of subsidies.
