Proposed legislation aims to protect Michigan's lower-income renters

(CBS DETROIT) - Lawmakers passed a package of bills this week that would prevent landlords from refusing to rent to people based on their source of income.

For renters like Terri, who did want to use her last name, only having access to one form of income meant long odds of finding a suitable place.

"I only had alimony as my income and possibly future disability payments also," she said. "So a lot of the rental units and landlords or property managers aren't really keen about just having that as my source of income."

Once in effect, the new laws will prevent landlords from rejecting rental applicants who use Section 8 and other rental assistance programs to pay their monthly rent. That's good news for Terri, who says she spent more than six months trying to get out of a shelter.

"I spent probably. I'd say 28 hours a week, maybe every week working day, communicating with all the agencies involved," Terri said.

Democratic state Sen. Jeff Irwin said that while these bills won't help build new units in our state, they should help to free up some units for more people.

"Folks sometimes really have a hard time finding a landlord that's willing to rent to them. That was one of the wrinkles that we were trying to iron out. Make sure that those folks have an opportunity to find housing and aren't getting pushed around the state," Irwin said.

On the other side of the aisle, though, Republicans said they feel this change is bad for landlords.

"An astronomically higher percentage of Section 8 housing voucher renters will destroy the house on the way out," said Republican state Sen. Jim Runestad. "I can't tell you how many little renters with a few places have had the house ripped to shreds."

Runestad said he feels his Democratic colleagues aren't looking at the full picture.

"None of this is ever considered by the Democrats," he said.

But Terri said she feels incredibly hopeful and happy to see a more compassionate process.

"I'm so excited because it makes it possible for people who are in need of these services and this chance, because a lot of us didn't have full employment," she said.