Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)

Citation: Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)
Jurisdiction: Arlington (municipal)
Source: Official source
Original Source: https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/57214/637641171662530000 ↗

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discrimination by housing providers and real estate professionals on the basis of race as well as source-of-
income. Racial discrimination was noted in leasing and in property management, while source-of-income
discrimination was most common at the leasing stage. One participant, who works for an affordable housing
developer that accepts housing vouchers, noted that private landlords often do not want to commit to rigorous
annual inspections, and that the time to process the voucher would be a deterrent for a for-profit landlord.
Several participants said they had witnessed or heard of landlords telling voucher holders that they do not
accept vouchers, in one case because their unit would not pass the required inspection. Landlords are reluctant to
accept voucher holders for a number of other reasons, including administrative burden and the social stigma
against voucher holders. Housing service providers in this plan’s public engagement process noted several
instances where residents felt that landlords were not interested in renting to them once they learned that a
voucher was involved. However, the providers also noted that it is difficult to prove discrimination, particularly in
a tight housing market; if a potential applicant is able to put a deposit down immediately, a landlord will almost
certainly offer the apartment to that applicant rather than waiting for an inspection and processing.
Participants in this plan’s public engagement process indicated there are additional forms of discrimination
against other protected classes, as well. While the reports collected during this process were all anecdotal, they
indicate discrimination is not limited to acts which have been scientifically measured. Discrimination against
families, single parents, foreign-born people,