Washington, D.C. — Today. U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) to introduce the bicameral Fair Housing Improvement Act of 2025 to protect veterans and low-income families from housing discrimination. This legislation would expand protections to all veterans and low-income individuals by adding source of income (SOI) and veteran and military status to the list of protected classes under the Fair Housing Act of 1968, giving more people access to affordable housing.
“It is absurd that veterans who bravely served our country continue to face discrimination based on their veteran or military status when trying to find housing,” said Senator Murray. “I am proud to support this legislation to expand protections against housing discrimination for veterans and low-income families, and help more people get access to the quality housing they deserve.”
Currently, over 2.3 million veterans and low-income households use Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) to pay rent, but there are no federal protections to prevent individuals from being denied housing based on SOI, and many veterans and low-income families have reported discrimination from landlords when using vouchers in states and cities without SOI protections.
The Fair Housing Improvement Act would:
- Expand the Fair Housing Act of 1968 to prohibit housing discrimination based on “military status,” “veteran status,” and “source of income.”
- Prohibit landlords from denying housing to individuals who use Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8), HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers, benefits received through Social Security, income received by a court order, payment from a trust or guardian, or any other lawful source of income.
- Require landlords to come into compliance within 40 months of the law’s enactment.
In addition to Senators Murray, Kaine, and Schiff, the Fair Housing Improvement Act is cosponsored by Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Chris Murphy (D-CT).
The bill is supported by: A Way Home America, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Service Coordinators, Catholic Charities USA, Children’s HealthWatch, Church World Service, Coalition on Human Needs, Corporation for Supportive Housing, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Housing Justice Center, Justice in Aging, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Mobility Works, My Dog is My Home, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies, National Association of Social Workers, National CAPACD, National Coalition for the Homeless, National Community Development Association, National Domestic Violence Hotline, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, National Housing Law Project, National Low Income Housing Coalition, National NeighborWorks Association, National Network to End Domestic Violence, National Women’s Law Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, New America’s Higher Education Program, Opportunity Starts at Home Campaign, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Poverty & Race Research Action Council, and The American Institute of Architects.
The full text of the bill can be found HERE.
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