This week, Appleseed and Lincoln for Fair Housing launched a ballot initiative to ban source of income discrimination in Lincoln. (read about the launch in the Journal Star)
Today, landlords in Lincoln can refuse to rent to people based on how they pay, such as housing vouchers, disability benefits, social security, or veteran benefits.
It’s called source of income discrimination. It’s simply unfair and prevents people from accessing the housing they need.
And it’s a real problem:
>> Nearly one in three voucher recipients in Lincoln have to return their voucher because they can’t find a landlord willing to accept it. (read more about this in the Flatwater Free Press)
>> City-wide, housing is unaffordable for 44% of renters, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
But we can change this:
The City of Lincoln can adopt source of income protections. It will prohibit landlords and property managers from turning away tenants based solely on how they pay rent. This policy has been adopted in 22 states and 128 cities nationwide—cutting voucher failure rates in half.
Here’s what we have to do:
We’re asking our supporters to join with us and the coalition to collect 10,000 signatures from Lincoln voters to place a measure on the May 2025 municipal election ballot. We have until January 31st to collect signatures. Lincoln voters will then have the power to approve source of income protections.
Here’s what you can do:
>> Find a petition signing location in Lincoln. We’ll have standing and pop-up locations over the next few months!
>> Volunteer to collect signatures. It’s easy and we’ll train you how to do it! (must be a registered Lincoln voter)
>> Learn more about the issue via the campaign fact sheet.
>> Share your story if you’ve experienced source of income discrimination.
Together, we can end source of income discrimination in Lincoln and ensure Lincolnites can access the affordable housing they need.