The Housing Rights Center (HRC) has filed a lawsuit on behalf of an elderly tenant in Los Angeles who suffered illegal discrimination because she receives a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher. HRC joins plaintiff Rhina Tejada in bringing this action against Vision Property Investment LLC and its CEO, Lea Rosenfield, for source of income discrimination in violation of city and state law.
Ms. Tejada, a 78-year-old senior on a fixed income, has lived in her Los Angeles apartment for 22 years. In fall 2019, after waiting for many years, she finally received a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher to subsidize her rent. This voucher is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by the City of Los Angeles, which pays all or a portion of the rent directly to the landlord. But, the lawsuit alleges, Ms. Rosenfield—whose company owns and manages multiple other properties throughout Los Angeles—staunchly refused to accept the monetary assistance for her long-term tenant and began a year-long campaign to blatantly undermine Ms. Tejada's fair housing rights. HRC’s investigation later uncovered Ms. Rosenfield and Vision Property Investment’s multiple illegal actions to avoid accepting Ms. Tejada’s lawful rental payments and to deny other Section 8 voucher holders their rights to equal housing.
“With this case, we are raising awareness about source of income protections in California—and placing landlords and property management companies on notice that HRC is actively protecting the rights of Section 8 voucher holders like Ms. Tejada,” said Zachary Frederick, HRC Staff Attorney.
Discrimination against Section 8 rent subsidy programs is included in existing laws in the City and County of Los Angeles and the State of California which make it illegal to discriminate against a tenant or a potential tenant based on the source of their income. Still, HRC receives numerous complaints each year about landlords and management companies refusing to accept these important vouchers. In 2020, HRC launched a campaign to identify, educate, and hold accountable landlords and property management companies in Los Angeles County that routinely discriminate against Section 8 voucher holders.
The Housing Rights Center, founded in 1968, is the nation's largest non-profit civil rights organization dedicated to securing and promoting fair housing. Its free services include landlord tenant counseling, outreach and education, and discrimination investigation. If you believe you have experienced discrimination based on source of income or any other protected class under federal or California law, please contact the Housing Rights Center at 1-800-477-5977 (TTY: 1-213-201-0867) or info@housingrightscenter.org.
This material is based on work supported by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under FHIP Grant FPEI #20062. Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of HUD.
I am having trouble with my landlord also, and I have been searching for a place to move to. I found 2 places that were suitable, but Section 8 did not respond to my calls, letters or emails. The Voucher expired and I did not get the chance to move because my request went unanswered. What is a person to do?
I have been asking for help with getting my title changed to In home family caregiver vs Live in caregiver. The way I am documented in the system is very important to my being able to get transferred over to my Mom's Section 8 which I will need. We are both on SSI and once her income is removed I will not be able to live here any longer because of the rental cost and my income from SSI will not be enough as well. I have reached out to my Congressman and Assemblyman and nothing. Is there anyone who can help me?
I believe My landlord is discriminating against me and people who have section 8 vouchers in the apartment complex. My landlord told me in December when he Give me a 90 day notice that that I'm not the only one that This is going to happen too that he will be giving other people on section 8 in the apartment complex and 90 day notices and I will be the 1st one to go. He told me he didn't want People on section 8 In his apartment complex.
I hope that fair houring right is established and enforces in the city of Los Angeles because the city of Angeles is a city and state everyone want to come to; if these basic moral and economicAl rights are not enforce, people like tourists and Angeles citizens will be force to leave and stop supporting a city that not supportNing them. The hard work and growth that has been established by long time citizen who support the city will be useless. People deserve fair treatment when it comes to housing and landlord and management company set that example- Kleanification
I live in the San Fernando Valley and I am having these discrimination issue and really just complete scamming in my efforts to find a place for myself and elderly Mother. What these companies are doing is collecting application fees and then letting people like myself feel like we have a chance at the apartments and once we pay we are told these apartment are either rented or there's more than many more applications on that one place. Recently this one company ask to have our Section 8 paperwork, I turn it in and then I call to get an update and I am told we aren't even being considered for the place. I have been looking for a place…