Section 8 seeks to help Sacramento residents find housing, but stigma causes barriers

Despite programs to subsidize rental housing, low-income recipients often struggle to find a place as cost of living rises and landlords refuse Section 8 vouchers.

The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency manages local housing voucher programs in Sacramento and the county and has 12 different wait lists for housing. Its Housing Choice Voucher program — more commonly known as Section 8, its chapter in the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 — offers thousands of qualifying families and individuals the opportunity to pay a portion of their rent in the private market.

Qualifications provide payment for low earners, the disabled, the homeless and others suffering from housing insecurity.

A qualified tenant would pay about 30% of their income toward rent — the rest is subsidized by federal funds paid directly to the landlord.

The amount a housing choice voucher can be is based on the rental’s ZIP code and its fair market rent price, an amount considered reasonable in comparison to similar rentals in the neighborhood. These rates are not the maximum amount a landlord can charge, but the maximum amount a household can receive from their voucher.

For a two-bedroom apartment located in East Sacramento with a 95819 ZIP code, a qualified tenant would receive a $2,544 housing voucher toward rent.

During the apartment application process, landlords assess a prospective resident’s ability to pay rent and conduct general background and credit screenings, said Curtis Tumbaga, the vice president of affordable communities for FPI Management, a property management company based in Folsom that rents to Section 8 recipients.

The benefit to a landlord accepting a housing Section 8 voucher, Tumbaga said, can be long-term renters with monthly rent being paid.

Stereotypes and stigma

Homeless individuals with these vouchers told The Sacramento Bee that people are frequently turned away from rentals due to stereotypes about Section 8 recipients. Among them: the perception that Section 8 renters are more likely to damage or not properly maintain units, commit crimes or be a nuisance to neighbors.

In certain places where negative perceptions of poverty prevail, those using Section 8 vouchers say they have encountered instances of alleged racial discrimination trying to find a place to live.

Jonathan Cook, the executive director of the Sacramento Housing Alliance, said there is a racist component to these stereotypes and the refusal by some to rent to Section 8 recipients. Redlining, a discriminatory practice that denies communities of color from financial services, is a factor, too. Systematic barriers like this hit Black, Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Indigenous communities significantly, Cook said.

“Being a part of a minority group is not a barrier in and of itself. It’s discrimination,” Cook said.

To discriminate against someone because they benefit from Section 8 is illegal. California has the Fair Employment and Housing Act, which provides protections from housing discrimination based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and source of income.

Still, despite these protections, renters have said they’ve encountered landlords who they believe don’t always abide by the Fair Employment and Housing Act.

“Just because you have a law doesn’t necessarily mean that it has been followed,” Cook concedes.

Fighting Section 8 discrimination is expensive in and of itself. Someone who is low-income typically cannot afford the legal fees required to sue someone or to fight a case.

“If you’re in a situation where you’re struggling financially or low-income, you’re not necessarily going to be able to have the agency to advocate for yourself,” Cook said.

Additionally, there is a lack of awareness of low and no-cost resources. Nonprofit legal aid groups like Legal Services of Northern California, who assist with discrimination cases for free, Cook said. That’s where his organization aims to build a more robust network to support those seeking housing.

“We have a gap in Sacramento in terms of fair housing and being able to make sure tenants are protected,” Cook said.