PITTSBURGH — In a move to protect residents from housing discrimination, Pittsburgh City Council has added “housing status” as a protected class.
On Tuesday, city council passed an ordinance amending Pittsburgh Code to add “housing status” as a class protected from housing discrimination.
The ordinance aims to ensure landlords can’t deny a person’s housing application based on their past or present housing status.
Under the ordinance, housing status refers to the real or perceived type of housing a person has or had, both public and private, including homelessness, temporary or transitional housing and a lack of rental history.
“There are far too many obstacles to finding housing. Many of us are a tragic incident away from losing our home and having to stay in a shelter, sleep on a friend’s couch or live on the streets,” said Councilperson Bob Charland, who sponsored the ordinance. “Oftentimes, a person’s housing status is completely out of their control and we know that the practice of discriminating based on someone’s housing status has kept people out of housing. We must continue to find ways to reduce these barriers and thanks to the incredible work of the Commission on Human Relations, we now have one less road block to housing our neighbors.”
Officials say anyone who suspects they’ve been a victim of housing discrimination based on their housing status can file a complaint with the Commission on Human Relations, which investigates claims of discrimination and enforces Pittsburgh’s Civil Rights Codes.
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