The New York State Budget, adopted on April 1, included a much-needed ban on housing discrimination based on legal non-wage sources of income. Long Island-based ERASE Racism initiated the statewide campaign to enact that ban in 2016 and is one of four organizations that led the Statewide Source of Income Coalition and its successful #BanIncomeBiasNY campaign this year. A link to the Coalition's press release is here. Following is a statement issued by Elaine Gross, President of ERASE Racism, in response to adoption of the State Budget and the much-needed ban:

"The State of New York took an essential step, with adoption of its Budget, to eliminate a significant form of housing discrimination: bias against New Yorkers who rely on legal non-wage sources of income for their rent. The Governor, legislative leaders, and members of the Legislature deserve great praise for enacting this important protection.

The campaign to achieve this protection – now known as #BanIncomeBiasNY – began in 2016, when ERASE Racism reached out to organizations across the state to build a coalition – the Statewide Source of Income Coalition – in support of that protection. We had realized the significance of the need in the course of research on housing discrimination conducted by ERASE Racism with funding from the Ford Foundation.

The coalition grew to be co-led by four organizations – Enterprise Community Partners, which successfully coordinated the most recent effort, ERASE Racism, the Fair Housing Justice Center, and the New York Housing Conference – and to include 114 organizations. Its membership reflects the statewide nature of the problem, which is evident in suburban, rural, and urban settings.

Reliance on legal non-wage sources of income, including Section 8 housing choice vouchers, Social Security, and child support, is extensive. More than 576,000 low-income New Yorkers use federal rental assistance to pay for housing.

Discrimination on this basis unfairly reduces the housing options of low-income New Yorkers. It drives poverty and segregation, can result in homelessness, and is often used as a proxy for illegal discrimination based on disability, familial status, or race.

New York State now has broad and uniform protection in place that will benefit all New Yorkers no matter where they live. I am struck by how many people with many talents helped put this protection in place. I thank everyone who helped make it happen."

 

To speak with Elaine Gross, contact Henry Miller at hmiller@highimpactpartnering.com. Information on ERASE Racism is available at www.eraseracismny.org.

 

Click here to download a PDF of this press release.