In the near future, we plan to reintroduce legislation that would prohibit property owners from denying housing to individuals based solely on their lawful source of income, including housing vouchers, pension payments, child support, and public assistance. The bill was introduced as Senate Bill 124 in the 2023-24 session. 
 
Pennsylvania, like much of the nation, is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. According to the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, between 2017 and 2025, the Commonwealth’s median home price increased by over 117 percent. And the lack of affordable rental units in Pennsylvania only further exacerbates our housing crisis.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, in 2025, a Pennsylvania worker earning our state’s paltry minimum wage of $7.25 per hour needs to work over 127 hours per week – or the equivalent of 3.2 full-time jobs to afford a one-bedroom rental in our Commonwealth. In order to afford to rent an average two-bedroom apartment in the Commonwealth while working a standard 40-hour work week, a worker needs to earn at least $27.83 per hour, over triple the state’s current minimum wage.

The difficulty in finding affordable housing is compounded by the fact that in most of Pennsylvania, landlords can reject potential tenants based solely upon their source of income, or the way they pay their rent. This includes using housing vouchers, disability benefits, and Social Security, and it disproportionately impacts renters of color, women, and people with disabilities. A 2018 study conducted in Philadelphia by the Urban Institute found that 67 percent of landlords refused to accept housing vouchers, and 83 percent of landlords in the city’s low-poverty neighborhoods refused to accept vouchers. Rejecting potential tenants because they use housing vouchers massively compounds the problem of accessing affordable housing.

There are states stepping up to protect these individuals - many of which include our neighboring states. Just last month, in December 2025, New Jersey lawmakers passed a bill making explicit that the state’s anti-discrimination law includes protections for residents based on their source of income for housing payments, including government vouchers, child support payments, and assistance from nonprofits. And the bill affirms that protections apply both to people paying rent and those paying mortgages. And a new law in Delaware just went into effect on January 1, 2026, amending their Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination based on source of income. Similar laws also went into effect in Michigan in April 2025. 

Our legislation would prohibit property owners from denying housing to individuals based solely on their lawful source of income, including housing vouchers, pension payments, child support, and public assistance. If a tenant has the financial ability to pay their rent in full and on time, it should not matter how they legally earn the money. 

Please join us in cosponsoring this legislation to help ensure equal access to safe affordable housing for all Pennsylvania residents.