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Housing voucher anti-discrimination bills get committee hearing

Wikimedia Commons

Housing discrimination based on the source of someone’s income would be illegal under Michigan bills that received a committee hearing Tuesday

Currently Michigan landlords can deny a unit to someone because they depend on housing vouchers or other subsidy programs.

The bills would change both state landlord-tenant and civil rights law to ban that practice.

Democratic Senator Jeff Irwin is a package sponsor. He says the bills would help get more people in vulnerable situations into housing.

“This is a problem in communities all over our state where folks are receiving veterans benefits or child support, particularly around Section 8 benefits are being discriminated against.”

Some groups are concerned about whether the bills as written would block landlords from ensuring tenants’ ability to pay rent consistently.

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