3/7/00 Letter to the Judiciary Committee 

March 7, 2000

Re: Bill 5835, An Act Concerning the Prohibition on Housing Discrimination of the Basis of Lawful Source of Income

Clean, safe, and affordable housing should be able to be enjoyed by all people of Connecticut.  The passage of H.B. 5835, An Act Concerning the Prohibition on Housing Discrimination on the Basis of Lawful Source of Income, would seriously jeopardize housing security for low-income and minority families and individuals in Connecticut. 

Passage of H.B. 5835 would overturn the October decision of the Connecticut Supreme Court in the case of CHRO v. Sullivan Associates, making source-of-income discrimination legal in Connecticut.  It would allow landlords to refuse to rent to low-income people who receive rental assistance through Section 8, RAP, rent bank, security deposit programs, or any other form of governmental rental assistance that come with conditions.  It would allow landlords to create exceptions to the source-of-income statute in two ways:

• By refusing to accept Section 8 “lease conditions,” that is, refusing to sign a Section 8 lease addendum.  This is effectively the same as refusing altogether to rent to Section 8 clients.
• By enforcing minimum income standards.  This is not reasonable as applied to Section 8 tenants because such tenants do not pay the full rent, but, rather, a small portion of it. 

The Section 8 program allows low-income people to move to better housing and neighborhoods.  Because of the overlap in Connecticut between race and poverty, the Section 8 program is the principal means of opening suburban areas to low-income renters and black and Hispanic families.  It also complements the efforts of the Legislature to integrate school districts throughout the state, complying with Sheff v. O’Neill.  Passage of this bill would effectively allow landlords to exclude many minorities from suburban areas.  This bill is an enormous step backwards. 

Section 8 vouchers give tenants sufficient income to afford rent.  It is illegal in Connecticut to impose income standards on recipients of housing stipends.  We urge members of the Judiciary Committee to reject H.B. 5835 and protect Connecticut’s most vulnerable tenants: low-income individuals and families. 

Sincerely,

Paul C. Puzzo

President

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