The law seeks to address a growing number of HOA regulations that prohibit renting to Section 8 voucher recipients.

According to an article by Sarah Holder and Kriston Capps in Bloomberg CityLab, “A state law will prohibit homeowners associations from discriminating against tenants using rental vouchers.”
The law comes in response to an effort by multiple Texas HOA’s to ban renters using Section 8 housing vouchers. “The practice has been more widespread than previously known: At least 15 HOAs comprising thousands of homes in the Dallas area have at one point restricted voucher users.”
The authors note that “After the law goes into effect Sept. 1, finding these policies and making sure they are removed may be quite a challenge. The law doesn't outline any enforcement mechanism.” State Representative Chris Turner, who introduced the new legislation, “acknowledged that the law does not address broader rental restrictions HOAs have applied, and said it was something that he would ‘look at’ in the future.”
The article concludes, “The law’s impact will also depend on where HOA policies go next, and whether homeowners continue to reinforce old barriers. State laws can change, federal regulations can adjust, but the community rules governing HOAs can adapt even quicker.”
FULL STORY: How Texas HOAs Are Keeping Low-Income Renters Out

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power
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New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing
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Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply
New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?
Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas
The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.
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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
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