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PCDC sends veterans-only source-of-income ordinance to full council with enforcement amendment
Summary
The committee voted unanimously to ask the city attorney to prepare an ordinance prohibiting housing providers who own five or more units from denying otherwise-qualified veterans solely because of their lawful income source, and recommended an escalating fee/enforcement model with reassessment in six months.
The Planning and Community Development Committee voted April 28 to send a proposed veterans-specific source-of-income ordinance to the full City Council, with an amendment that would limit immediate applicability to housing providers owning five or more units and establish an escalating fee structure similar to the existing housing choice voucher policy.
Neighborhood and Housing Services director Veronica Garcia told the committee that Texas law limits broad, citywide source-of-income protections but does allow targeted approaches for veterans or for properties receiving city incentives. She said San Antonio has nearly 9,500 veterans, about 830 VASH voucher holders and roughly 39 VASH holders actively searching for housing, with 14 pending inspection and lease-up steps.
"In the proposed ordinance, it would be prohibiting all operators of rental housing from denying otherwise-qualified prospective renters who are veterans based solely on their lawful source of income, including vouchers," Garcia said, describing proposed enforcement options that start with mandatory training for first offenses and escalate to noncriminal penalties and fines up to $500 per violation.
Advocates including Larissa Martinez (Circle of Arms), Johnny Garcia, and others described veterans being denied housing despite guaranteed voucher payments and urged adoption. Property managers and representatives of landlord associations cautioned that administrative challengesinspection timelines, delayed payments, and program paperworkremain barriers and urged pairing any ordinance with operational improvements and incentives.
Councilmember Court moved an amendment that the city attorney prepare an ordinance applying to housing providers owning five or more residential units, with an escalating fee structure similar to the housing choice voucher policy and a six-month reassessment after adoption. Legal staff and council members discussed enforcement mechanisms and whether first offenses should trigger training rather than immediate fines.
The committee voted unanimously to recommend forwarding the ordinance language (as amended) to full council; staff and council members asked that stakeholder work continue, including partnerships with entities such as Opportunity Home, REACH, and veteran service organizations, and that the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs or community partners be considered for navigator services to help voucher holders find housing.
