Title
Approval of Proposed Ordinance Amending Olympia Municipal Code (OMC) Chapter 5.80, Unfair Housing Practices, to Include "Source of Income" as a Protected Class
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve the proposed ordinance amending Olympia Municipal Code (OMC) Chapter 5.80 to include "source of income" as a protected class on second reading.
Report
Issue:
Whether the City should amend OMC Chapter 5.80, Unfair Housing Practices, to prevent housing discrimination and reduce homelessness by adding "source of income" as a protected class.
Staff Contact:
M. Anna Schlecht, Housing Programming Manager, Community Planning & Development Department, 360.753.8183
Mark Barber, City Attorney, 360.753.8338
Presenter(s):
M. Anna Schlecht, Housing Programming Manager
Mark Barber, City Attorney
Background and Analysis:
The background and analysis have not changed from first to second reading.
Since 1967, communities across the United States have used local, state and federal laws to address housing discrimination. Typically codified under the title of "Unfair Housing Practices," such laws protect residents from discrimination that would unfairly limit their housing choices.
History: The federal Fair Housing Act was enacted as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. This law provided a tool to stop discrimination against buyers or renters of housing based on specific protected classes. Olympia enacted Ordinance No. 3456 in 1968, which created OMC Chapter 5.80, Unfair Housing Practices, and prohibited housing discrimination on the basis of "race, color, religion, ancestry, or national origin."
Since that time, OMC Chapter 5.80 has been amended numerous times to include other classes of people who have experienced housing discrimination based on real or perceived characteristics. The current version states, "It is declared to be the policy of th...
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