ERC Client Spotlight: Ms. B Confronts Voucher Discrimination
By: Nick Adjami
May 6, 2026
We’re launching the Client Spotlight series to shine a light on the brave individuals who report housing discrimination to us. Despite well-established laws that make housing discrimination illegal, it still occurs frequently. In 2024, the National Fair Housing Alliance counted 32,321 fair housing complaints nationwide, and in 2025, ERC conducted 145 intakes with residents alleging housing discrimination in the Greater Washington, D.C. region. Many more instances likely went unreported. As the federal government increasingly refuses to enforce fair housing laws, it’s more important than ever for individuals to report discrimination and hold landlords accountable for violations.
ERC can help by informing you about your fair housing rights, advocating on your behalf to landlords, and helping you file a complaint. We hope this series illustrates the process for reporting housing discrimination to ERC and empowers you to do so if you experience it. You can also support your community by educating your neighbors about their rights and sharing how they can take action. To report discrimination to the ERC, call 202-234-3062 or email info@equalrightscenter.org.
For our first Client Spotlight, we’re highlighting Ms. B, a Maryland resident and mother of two who has a housing voucher. She applied to rent a home for her family and was told she was the first applicant, but a few days later the property manager texted: “We had someone apply yesterday that doesn’t have a voucher and the owner said he wanted to move forward with them.”
Last month, at ERC’s 2026 Annual Meeting, we honored Ms. B with our Advocate for Change award. The award recognizes an ERC client who courageously reported housing discrimination to us and persevered to protect their rights, and in doing so, helped ensure others wouldn’t face the same unfair treatment. Watch the video below or continue reading to learn more about Ms. B’s case.
In July 2024, Ms. B found the perfect home to rent in Bowie, MD. It was close to her church and a school for her children, and the rent was well within the range she could afford with her housing voucher. When she applied, she was told she was the first applicant and would likely be approved. So, Ms. B gave notice to her current landlord in Baltimore that she was moving out. But a few days later, the property manager in Bowie texted: “We had someone apply yesterday that doesn’t have a voucher and the owner said he wanted to move forward with them.” Ms. B knew something was off and reached out to the ERC. In Maryland, it’s illegal to refuse to rent to someone because they have a housing voucher.
“At first, he said I had it, and then he changed his mind. I really didn’t want to believe that they would discriminate against me, but I started to think, ‘I can’t let this be. I can’t let them get away with that,’ because there’s other people looking for homes.” -Ms. B
In response, ERC conducted civil rights testing of the property and discovered that it was still available to rent, contrary to the property manager’s claim that it was off the market. With ERC’s help, Ms. B filed a discrimination complaint with the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. Ms. B hoped she would be able to stay at her Baltimore home since she was rejected from the Bowie property, but having already given notice, her lease ended and she was evicted. With no other options, she spent more than she could afford on a short-term rental for herself and her kids.
“I wanted to put my kids in a better environment and grow up like I grew up. I had the opportunity to put them somewhere that didn’t have a lot of violence, that was a good community, and I was robbed of all that.” -Ms. B
Ms. B eventually found a more permanent home for her family, but wanted to hold accountable the homeowners and property manager who caused her so much financial and emotional strain. She also wanted to ensure other renters with vouchers wouldn’t face the same mistreatment. After a year in the complaint process, the management company finally agreed to pay Ms. B $10,000 for the harm she experienced. At Ms. B’s insistence, the company and the homeowners also agreed to attend a landlord briefing hosted by the Housing Authority of Prince George’s County, complete fair housing training, and implement a non-discrimination policy.
“You got to stand up to your bullies. I just wanted them to know that what they did was not okay,” said Ms. B. “With the ERC, I felt like I wasn’t alone. I really felt like I had somebody I could talk to about what I was going through, who wasn’t judging me, who was hearing me and trying to help me. That’s all I wanted. And I got it.”
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The ERC is a civil rights organization that identifies and seeks to eliminate unlawful and unfair discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations in its home community of Greater Washington DC and nationwide. The ERC’s core strategy for identifying unlawful and unfair discrimination is civil rights testing. When the ERC identifies discrimination, it seeks to eliminate it through the use of testing data to educate the public and business community, support policy advocacy, conduct compliance testing and training, and, if necessary, take enforcement action. For more information, please visit www.equalrightscenter.org.
