Santa Fe City Council last night approved a measure that aims to prevent landlords from turning down potential tenants who plan to pay with government-funded housing vouchers.
Council often touched on the proposal in prior meetings since it was introduced in April by councillors Alma Castro and Jamie Cassutt.
The ordinance’s stated purpose is to prohibit discrimination in housing by adding source of income as one of the protected classes included in the city’s already existing Fair Housing Ordinance.
Several members of the community and advocates for the homeless spoke during the housing discrimination public hearings, some in support of the ordinance, some calling into question whether it solves the problem of helping people find places to live in Santa Fe.
One person in the latter category was the head of the Apartment Association of New Mexico. Alan LaSeck said he agrees that we should not discriminate but that the bigger problem is a lack of affordable housing stock.
Councillor Cassutt responded to those criticisms by agreeing that Santa Fe does not have a quote “healthy housing market,” and that the bill is just one of several required strategies to improve the climate for affordable housing.
“I never think that a single housing policy is going to be the solution of our extremely complex housing issue," Cassutt said. "There’s a lot more work to do. We will continue to be doing this work. But I do appreciate this opportunity to hopefully open up more housing choices for individuals that are struggling at this moment in time in finding a place to stay.”
Mayor Alan Webber voted in favor of the bill right after making an impassioned case that the principle behind it fits with the city’s self-identity as a promoter of social justice.
“We have people today who are being discriminated against, pure and simple. That violates our values. That prevents us from living into our commitment to social justice."
The ordinance will go into effect on August 1, 2025. Cassutt said the one-year delay will give the Office of Affordable Housing time to create a method of enforcement.
