Tonya Wood, a Section 8 housing voucher recipient and criminal justice graduate student at Rutgers University, can't move out of her dilapidated Edison, N.J. apartment because landlords keep rejecting her voucher out of hand. Discrimination against Section 8 voucher holders is barred under New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination. Yet, an investigation by the Asbury Park Press found this type of housing discrimination is widespread, blatant and often occurs with impunity. Wood's experience with this Woodbridge landlord is just one example. She recorded this phone call — part of a hopeful six-minute conversation with the landlord of a condo she wanted to rent — because Wood records all business calls. Now, it has become a key piece of evidence in a discrimination case she filed with the state Division on Civil Rights. (This is a clipped version of the six-minute phone conversation.)

 

Transcript 

Tonya Wood: I also have a Section 8 voucher and they cover up to $1,893.

Landlord: What do you have? I'm sorry.

Tonya Wood: A Section 8 voucher. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that?

Landlord: Yeah, we don't take that.

Tonya Wood: We as in you or the complex?

Landlord: The complex or us, because, you know...

Tonya Wood: You know, it's. Okay, so I'm gonna just stop you there. Because once I'm done with grad school I'm going to -- I just got into, accepted into, Rutgers Law. It's illegal to not accept it. So I'm not sure why or who told you that. Now if that's your preference, then that's fine, but you can't deny someone housing because they have a voucher.

Landlord: No, no, no, no. It's not about anything. It's just that we are basically, we don't, we, maybe I should have rephrased when I said, we are the owner of this condominum.

Tonya Wood: Okay, so your preference is to not accept it?

Landlord: Right.

Tonya Wood: Okay. Okay, that's fine.

Landlord: Yeah, that's what I meant. Like we are the owners. We don't have multiple units. You know what I mean? Renting. This is not something that, you know, we're renting away apartments or anything. We are private renters. Does that makes sense?

Tonya Wood: No, it does. My mom is a landlord, so I know exactly how private renting goes. But I'm just letting you know that in the future, like your verbiage. You can't say that we don't accept that. You can't deny someone with a voucher.

Landlord: Okay. So, yeah, so because of that, I think this might not work out.

Tonya Wood, a Section 8 housing voucher recipient and criminal justice graduate student at Rutgers University, can't move out of her dilapidated Edison, N.J. apartment because landlords keep rejecting her voucher out of hand. Discrimination against Section 8 voucher holders is barred under New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination. Yet, an investigation by the Asbury Park Press found this type of housing discrimination is widespread, blatant and often occurs with impunity. Wood's experience with this Woodbridge landlord is just one example. She recorded this phone call &mdash; part of a hopeful six-minute conversation with the landlord of a condo she wanted to rent &mdash; because Wood records all business calls. Now, it has become a key piece of evidence in a discrimination case she filed with the state Division on Civil Rights. (This is a clipped version of the six-minute phone conversation.)
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Transcript&nbsp;
Tonya Wood: I also have a Section 8 voucher and they cover up to $1,893.
Landlord: What do you have? I'm sorry.
Tonya Wood: A Section 8 voucher. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that?
Landlord: Yeah, we don't take that.
Tonya Wood: We as in you or the complex?
Landlord: The complex or us, because, you know...
Tonya Wood: You know, it's. Okay, so I'm gonna just stop you there. Because once I'm done with grad school I'm going to -- I just got into, accepted into, Rutgers Law. It's illegal to not accept it. So I'm not sure why or who told you that. Now if that's your preference, then that's fine, but you can't deny someone housing because they have a voucher.
Landlord: No, no, no, no. It's not about anything. It's just that we are basically, we don't, we, maybe I should have rephrased when I said, we are the owner of this condominum.
Tonya Wood: Okay, so your preference is to not accept it?
Landlord: Right.
Tonya Wood: Okay. Okay, that's fine.
Landlord: Yeah, that's what I meant. Like we are the owners. We don't have multiple units. You know what I mean? Renting. This is not something that, you know, we're renting away apartments or anything. We are private renters. Does that makes sense?
Tonya Wood: No, it does. My mom is a landlord, so I know exactly how private renting goes. But I'm just letting you know that in the future, like your verbiage. You can't say that we don't accept that. You can't deny someone with a voucher.
Landlord: Okay. So, yeah, so because of that, I think this might not work out.

Gannett Atlantic Region Audio

'We don't take that:' Illegal discrimination blocks housing opportunities for Section 8 tenants in NJ

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