In Could the San Antonio Metropolis Council handed an ordinance that banned landlords with 5 or extra properties from turning away veterans who have been paying lease with a federal housing voucher.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and veteran advocates argue the ordinance doesn’t do sufficient to assist increase entry to housing for veterans.
“There are extra restrictions to a canine being off the leash than there are to discriminating in opposition to a veteran utilizing a voucher,” Jones mentioned. “That’s ludicrous and unacceptable in Army Metropolis USA.”
In line with a Metropolis Council ordinance, a canine proprietor discovered to not be in compliance with town’s leash coverage shall be fined $100 for the primary violation, $500 for the second and $750 for the third.
A landlord discovered to not be in compliance with town’s voucher acceptance coverage shall be given a written warning on the primary offense, a compulsory coaching on the second offense and a $500 superb on the third offense.
When the ordinance hits its six-month mark in November, Jones mentioned she’s going to revisit it, aiming to take away all exemptions.
A veteran of the Air Pressure herself and a former Pentagon official, Jones chided her fellow council members for passing the ordinance with out closing the loopholes on exemptions.
“A few of my colleagues have been OK with a bit of little bit of discrimination… I, after all, advocate for no discrimination,” she mentioned.
HUD-VASH and Part 8 vouchers
The My Metropolis is My Dwelling chapter of the American GI Discussion board labored with college students at UTSA’s Rowdy Corps Group Students program to create a report analyzing housing choices throughout town, and construct two on-line instruments to assist renters see the place vouchers are accepted.
“The central thought of this report is straightforward: an marketed unit isn’t essentially an accessible unit,” mentioned Wael Albakri, a masters scholar engaged on the mission.
The group’s analysis checked out what properties in San Antonio are accepting the Part 8 housing voucher, a authorities program aimed toward serving to low-income households, veterans, seniors and other people with disabilities afford lease.
The HUD-VASH voucher is a specialised kind of the Part 8 Housing Selection Voucher program, particularly targeted on veterans; a property’s response to accepting Part 8 doesn’t essentially set up its HUD-VASH coverage, however it’s typically an indicator.
Almost 70% of in-city residences clearly indicated their response to accepting Part 8 vouchers was “no” and 92% of the MLS single-family and duplexes within the metropolis have been additionally marked as Part 8 “no.”
“Whenever you have a look at the place the locations that take the HUD and even any of the federal vouchers are, they’re very removed from the veteran services,” Jones mentioned. “That’s precisely why the VASH vouchers exist as a result of the VA acknowledges that for our most susceptible veterans, it’s not simply a difficulty of housing; it’s additionally a difficulty of entry to healthcare.”
The breakdown of MLS single-family and duplex acceptance of Part 8 housing vouchers by Metropolis Council district confirmed that areas with essential veteran assets typically had the least choices for housing.
District 8, residence to the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, had the second-lowest acceptance price, with 5 leases marked “sure” for accepting Part 8 housing vouchers, and 99 marked “no.” In line with the report, the one district with fewer choices was District 9, which had zero out of 104 properties marked “sure.”
When present listings with three or extra bedrooms, solely 6.7% of obtainable listings reported accepting Part 8.
“That issues to veterans with kids, massive households, multi-generational households, individuals with residing caregivers and households that want extra accessible area,” Albakri mentioned.
The significance of housing
Jones mentioned the coverage because it stands hurts already susceptible teams of veterans.
The exemption course of is reliant on understanding what number of items a landlord owns, which is info that isn’t available, making the enforcement of the exemption troublesome. The town housing crew should look into every particular person landlord when a violation is reported.
“It’s a course of that may be very troublesome to navigate. Interval,” Jones mentioned. “However actually troublesome for any individual that has PTSD.”
American GI Discussion board Bexar County chapter commander Pete Bernal agrees, and he says housing is likely one of the issues that determines if a veteran survives the “Lethal Hole,” the primary 12 months post-active responsibility when a veteran is most liable to committing suicide.
“To place a barrier in entrance of individuals can [make] an individual to go to suicide, as a result of the very first thing they are saying is, ‘I don’t have a spot to stay, so why do I wish to stay?’” Bernal mentioned.
A VA research from 2025 discovered that veterans experiencing housing instability have been 3 times as more likely to have suicidal ideas and twice as more likely to try suicide in comparison with stably housed veterans.
Bernal, veteran who served 15 years within the U.S. Military, says advocating for housing entry for veterans in want is private to him as a result of he may have simply been of their place.
“I put numerous time into this. I’m achy. I’m at all times hurting, I really feel down. I’ve pains and stuff. However this motivates me simply to rise up within the morning, simply so I can ensure somebody has a mattress,” he mentioned.
The group additionally discovered that for lots of of houses, marketed lease was not the primary barrier, voucher acceptance was.
Of the 1,506 single-family or duplex leases within the metropolis marked “no” for accepting Part 8, 924 have an marketed lease that was financially attainable for individuals paying with a voucher.
Researchers referred to as 105 properties of these 924 to get a pattern on what number of have been particularly accepting the HUD-VASH voucher.
Twelve mentioned they’d settle for HUD-VASH. However 93 mentioned they’d not.
Revisiting exemptions
Jones mentioned this isn’t adequate, particularly when town of Fort Price handed a measure with out exemptions.
“Fort Price handed this two years in the past,” Jones mentioned. “And you realize what? Fort Price remains to be standing.”
She additionally mentioned she spoke with VA Secretary Doug Collins about the potential for including transitional housing choices on VA properties in San Antonio in order that veterans can stay in shut proximity to the care they want.
She mentioned it’ll take an “all-of-the-above strategy” to fulfill the housing wants of veterans within the metropolis.
“Our job as leaders is to be sure that we’re serving to essentially the most susceptible,” Jones mentioned. “Our veterans who want housing who’re using vouchers are, actually, that group.”
The San Antonio Report’s navy and veterans protection is supported by Report for America.
