INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The 48 homeless veterans displaced by a downtown Indianapolis fire are running into an issue that housing advocates consider a persistent form of discrimination. 

As News 8 reported, the nonprofit Helping Veterans and Families of Indiana, Inc. said nearly half of those vets have, or are in the process of, getting a housing voucher that would help pay for a new place to live. But HVAF said most landlords in central Indiana won’t accept subsidies as rent. 

It’s an issue housing advocates call “source of Income Discrimination,” where landlords will reject tenants based purely on them relying on subsidies, like a section 8 housing voucher. 

While more than 15 states have banned the practice, it’s legal in Indiana. And a 2015 state law stops any towns, cities, or counties from requiring landlords to accept subsidies. 

Last legislative session, Rep. Renee Pack introduced a bill to create source of income protections, but it never came up for a vote. 

She plans to introduce similar legislation in 2025, saying it’s still a priority to address. 

“Probably not just Indiana, but any other state,” Pack said. “I think it’s important that our courageous veterans have access to safe housing. At this point, we can just deny a veteran housing based on their income status.”

Pack is a veteran herself, having served in the United States Army. She’s now the ranking Democratic member of the Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee. 

“I think that after this horrific fire [at the HVAF shelter], we might have a better chance [at adding protections] because it’s making legislators aware of how quickly these veterans can lose their livelihood,” Pack said. 

Housing providers lobbying against these laws have said these requirements add extra regulation, including a federally required inspection process. There’s also worries about possible delays in voucher payments, being limited from raising rents as high as the market will allow, and the possibility of problem tenants. 

Pack argues many of the concerns that come with renting to vets, like mental health issues, are often helped with secure housing. 

“Just like any other Hoosier, [veterans] just want to thrive,” Pack said. 

Right now, HVAF is raising money to help those 48 displaced veterans find a place to live.