Dr. Lee Davenport writes on Memorial Day, “In addition to expressing gratitude and affirmation, it is even more important that our veterans have access to affordable housing options and receive their hard-earned benefits.”
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Did you know that some veterans and their families are denied housing not because of sketchy background checks or bad credit, but simply because they want to use their hard-earned military benefits?
Have you ever noticed that rental ads automatically say “Coupons not allowed” or something similar?
Well, that excludes a lot of people, including veterans and military family members. Unfortunately, some of the benefits received by those who have served and their families come in the form of subsidies, also known as “shaming and avoidance” housing vouchers.
Watch the video at the top and keep reading as I share more information about the difficulties veterans face when finding affordable housing, as well as some action steps you can take to help become a veteran advocate.
“Coupons go nowhere”
Whether we call it a subsidy or a voucher, it is a source of income for a person.
Currently, at this map Blue, whether dark or light, represents places where there is actually some form of protection from a source of income. Shockingly, nowhere else on this map is.
There is also an affordable housing crisis in many places, where landlords and other real estate professionals oppose legislation to protect those who have some form of income supplement to have housing options. This means that opting out of income subsidies would deprive military families and others of many housing options when a free source of income is not a legal right.
The “Problem” with Coupons
Protected classes under federal, state, and local fair housing laws ensure that people who are legally qualified to obtain housing, whether to purchase or rent, enjoy freedom of choice, access, and opportunity without regard to some superficial, tangential boundary such as a A person’s skin color, use of assistive devices, or whether a person’s income is received by the government through employment or subsidies.
However, what is protected in one state may not be protected in another.At this point, source of income protection is not nationwide, as some have pointed out trouble The implementation of the voucher program has deepened the affordable housing crisis for many people, including some veterans.
Personally, whether I’m a property manager or a landlord of my own property, I always like to work with people who have coupons. One, you can still run a background and credit check – you can still do what you need to do to make sure they qualify for the home and will take care of it. Second, once your property is approved and you sign up for direct deposit, the funds usually arrive on time like clockwork (at least for me in Georgia).
Yes, dealing with property inspections for the voucher program can be a minor hassle, but inspection reports and subsequent repair requests are generally something anyone who lives in a home wants to have in working order.
Frankly, my thoughts have turned to viewing the voucher program’s annual home inspection as a free service to ensure my property remains in tip-top shape without requiring me to spend money on my own separate annual inspection (which we do on properties outside the U.S. Check this out) coupon program).
Housing Choices > Words of Affirmation
Memorial Day is just a few weeks away, and I know a lot of us like to say a heartfelt “thank you for your service,” and that’s nice. But more than just gratitude and recognition, it’s even more important that our veterans have access to affordable housing options and receive their hard-earned benefits.
If you are in a city, county or state that does not have protected class income sources in general and veterans/military members in particular, then I want to encourage you Contact local government officials Make this a priority. God knows some of the staff I represent know my name!
You may be surprised to learn that they are seeking more real estate industry voices to support fair housing for veterans and others who receive subsidized income.
Dr. Lee Davenport is a real estate coach/educator and author who trains real estate agents to provide Real estate access and opportunities. Connect with her on Instagram.
