and keep new ones from taking their place. The voucher program, known as Section 8, pays a portion of a low-income household’s rent.
The Providence HOA board enacted the policy last June as the neighborhood blamed Section 8 tenants for a perceived uptick in local criminal activity. Tempers had flared on social media and even led to at least one physical confrontation between neighbors. Turner’s bill “sends a very strong message to the homeowners association that they’re not allowed to do this,” said Laura Beshara, a civil rights lawyer representing some of the Providence tenants.
Dallas alone faces a shortfall of 33,660 rental units that are affordable for households making 50% of the area median income or less, according to a. That shortage is expected to grow to 83,500 by the end of the decade, the report found.