Fellows mentioned in this story: Brandee Menino, Cohort VII

From the Governor's Office News Release:

As the Hawai‘i Legislature continues to consider legislation on rental housing assistance discrimination, the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness (HICH) has released a policy brief that emphasizes the need to address this issue during the 2022 legislative session.

Hawai‘i is among those jurisdictions that have not outlawed rental housing assistance discrimination, a practice in which landlords can refuse to accept housing applications from those receiving certain types of rental assistance. While many advertisements from such landlords contain wording such as “No Section 8” or “No housing vouchers,” others make no mention of discrimination, and prospective tenants are not informed until they call, visit, or submit an application for a rental property. Because of Hawai‘i’s high housing costs, many renters rely on vouchers to remain stably housed.

Several bills that would address this issue are making their way through the Legislature. SB 206 recently passed out of the Senate Judiciary committee and crossed over to the House. In addition, SB 2399 was recently heard in the Senate Consumer Protection Committee, and SB 2468 recently passed out of the joint Senate committees on Housing and Government Operations.

Continue reading at hawaii.gov.