From Cleveland.com's article:
Akron’s proposal to bar landlords from discriminating against tenants based on their lawful source of income could make housing accessible for hundreds of Summit County families who have a housing voucher but can’t find a unit, the housing authority told City Council on Monday.
At any given time, about 350 to 650 people with a Housing Choice voucher are looking for housing in the Akron area, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority Deputy Director Debbie Barry told the Housing and Neighborhood Assistance Committee.
Barry and AMHA Executive Director Brian Gage spoke to the committee in favor of the legislation introduced last week by Mayor Dan Horrigan that would add “source of income” to the city’s discrimination code. If passed, landlords who refuse to accept legal forms of payment – including housing vouchers and pandemic relief grants – could be referred to the Akron Civil Rights Commission and could face fines up to $1,000 per violation.
“AMHA is in a unique position as both the largest landlord in Akron and Summit County, as well as the local administrator for the Housing Choice Voucher Program,” Gage said, referring to the program formerly called Section 8. “Similar to the city, as recipients of HUD [Housing and Urban Development Department] funds, we have an obligation to take affirmative actions to promote fair housing. AMHA supports the legislative proposals and believes they remove barriers to fair housing in our community.”
Read Cleveland.com's article "Akron’s source-of-income discrimination proposal could make housing accessible for hundreds of Akron-area voucher holders," featuring the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority.