Comment Detail

Comment

My name is Sarah Terzo and I am a tenant in Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey.

Federal renter protections are very much needed to address the power imbalance between landlords and
renters. Currently, renters remain at great risk of housing instability, harassment, and homelessness which fuels
racial and gender inequity.

I would like to encourage you to enact ' just cause' eviction standards. This will protect renters who have done nothing wrong from being unjustly evicted by landlords. It will also protect minorities and individuals from housing discrimination.

I have personally experienced being discriminated against in housing when landlords have refused to rent to me due to being LGBT,, and I have known people who were evicted for the same reason. While technically, such discrimination is illegal, the burden of proof falls on the renter or the one seeking the apartment. In my case, even though the renter told me directly the reason she wouldn't let me move in, I could do nothing because I had no actual proof. I didn't have her words recorded. This left me with no recourse as I couldn't prove the discrimination. So I want to make it clear that this type of discrimination happens all the time, and in many cases, it leads to evictions.

My friends were also told, to their faces, that as LGBT people, they weren't welcome, and knew that was the reason they lost their apartment.The landlord told this to them. Again, however, they couldn't prove it. They had no proof the conversation had taken place and thus, no way to fight the eviction.

Many renters know discrimination is the real reason they are being evicted but they cannot prove it.

Even if an evicted person CAN prove that they were discriminated against, and in violation of federal law, someone living on the street or in a homeless shelter who cannot afford a roof over their head also can't afford a lawyer. Because they cannot afford to sue the landlord, they have no recourse, even in blatant cases of discrimination- even with proof.

Discrimination will continue to happen unless more robust protection from eviction without cause is put in place. As of now, laws preventing discrimination for race, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity have little or no effect. Due to the power imbalance and the inaccessibility of lawyers, despite these laws, people are being discriminated against all the time with no recourse.

Another way that landlords are free to discriminate is by refusing to accept housing vouchers. Those living in poverty and disabled people take the brunt of this discrimination.

Another desperately needed provision is a requirement for landlords to take vouchers, such as Section 8.

I am disabled and chronically ill. Because of fatigue, severe pain, leg paralysis, inability to use my arms or hands effectively (I am using dictation now as I cannot type or lift anything heavier than cup of water), and other symptoms, I am unable to work full-time. I do manage to work from home when I can, but with such severe health problems, my ability to work is greatly affected. Very few employers will hire a full-time worker who is bedridden for most of the day and cannot use her arms and legs.

Much as I would love to work full-time, I am not physically capable of doing so and won't be, unless my condition drastically improves. The illnesses I have are permanent, progressive, and incurable, at least at this point.

Without the physical ability to work full-time, I cannot afford rent. So I qualified for a voucher. These vouchers exist to help People who are unable to support themselves through no fault of their own.

However, landlords are free to choose whether or not to accept these vouchers. When I was granted section 8, I had to find an apartment that was handicapped accessible. There were very few of them available. Because I could not go up stairs (or at all, without a wheelchair) or use an ordinary shower, I was very constrained as to where I could live.

There were only a handful of apartments that I could live in, and most of those landlords turned me away when they found out I was on section 8. Mere days before my voucher was due to expire, I finally found a place to live.

If that hadn't happened, I would now be homeless. To make things even worse, none of the homeless shelters in the area are handicapped accessible. Therefore, I would be living, and sleeping, on the street.

Homelessness nearly happened to me, and it happens to many thousands of disabled people every year. In fact, disabled people are four times more likely to be in shelters or experience sheltered homelessness than able-bodied people. In fact, nearly 49% of those experiencing sheltered homelessness are disabled, even though disabled people make up less than 18% of the population.

This does not count homeless people with disabilities living on the street, which would've been my fate if I hadn't found an apartment in time – literally three days before my housing voucher would've been revoked.

Disabled people make up a huge percentage of the homeless. Disability accessible housing is hard to find, and people to severely disabled to work full-time are at the mercy of government programs to keep a roof over their heads.
Disabled people need more protection from discrimination against landlords. A requirement that section 8 must be accepted would get many disabled people off the streets.

Most people on Section 8 are poor through no fault of their own. I worked for thirteen years with a severe chronic illness, spending most of my days either working or in bed. It was only when my illness became so severe I could no longer work even in that capacity that I reluctantly stopped working in order to rely solely on disability. It is my hope and prayer that my condition improves and I can start working again.

People in my situation deserve to be protected. A disability can happen to anyone at any time. You, or someone you love, could be in my position at some point.

Please help disabled people avoid homelessness by protecting them from predatory landlords and requiring that vouchers must be accepted. And please protect others from being unjustly evicted by enacting better eviction protections.