North Texas homeowners association bans use of housing vouchers - Axios DallasLog InLog InAxios Dallas is an Axios company.

North Texas HOA bans use of housing vouchers

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios A homeowners association in a small Denton County town to ban renters with housing vouchers, effectively targeting Black residents in the predominantly white neighborhood. Why it matters: The neighborhood makes up most of Providence Village, so when the leases expire, the town will be almost entirely off limits to renters with housing vouchers. Housing advocacy groups have called on the whether the HOA's ban violates the federal . Catch up fast: In June, the Providence Homeowners Association passed the rule, which also included a provision that would fine landlords $300 a week for housing tenants. The association later walked back the implementation of fines, allowing tenants to stay through the end of their leases, per the . Of note: can reject a renter with a housing voucher but cannot deny a person based on their race, religion, sex or disability. The Providence HOA is one of three in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that ban voucher holders, per . By the numbers: Providence Village has about 7,800 residents, 87% of whom are white, according to . Women head all but five of the 157 households using vouchers in Providence Village and 93% of the families are Black, per a . Only 12% of 1,901 multifamily rental properties in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Rockwall counties accept housing choice vouchers, according to an analysis by the .Only 4% of rental properties in majority white ZIP codes accept the vouchers. What they're saying: "For years we've had to deal with the homeowners saying 'not in my neighborhood,' but now we have a move afoot that says 'not even in our city.' That's concerning," Ann Lott, executive director of the Inclusive Communities Project, told the Tribune. What we're watching: Whether this paves the way for other HOAs to follow suit. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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