Collective Impact Lincoln

02/03/2026

Is housing getting out of your reach? It’s not affordable for 40% of Nebraska renters.

In fact, it takes 1.6 full-time jobs at minimum wage just to afford a modest 2-bedroom apartment at Nebraska’s Fair Market rent. ⏱️ That’s 64 hours per week.

For many families with children and people with disabilities, time and money are tight. There’s little wiggle room left for food and health care, let alone saving up for a more reliable car or higher education. That’s where our public assistance programs are supposed to help – to fill this gap so that all our neighbors can thrive.

❌ But predatory landlords and property managers are denying families the chance to thrive by discriminating against them for using assistance. Nebraskans are being turned away from housing because of how they pay, and that’s not fair. Source-of-income discrimination hurts families with children, our elders, people with disabilities, and Nebraskans of color.

We can do better to make Nebraska a more welcoming, safe, and affordable place to live and call home. 🩷

📣We need your help to bring housing back in reach!

✉️ Email or call members of the Judiciary Committee and tell them to ADVANCE source-of-income protections, not ban them.

✅Vote YES to LB223
❌Vote NO to LB809

Take action now at https://actionnetwork.org/letters/defend-our-right-to-a-home

(ID: Graphic with purple background and white gradient with text in white, “housing is unaffordable for 40% of Nebraska renters” and an aforementioned call to action in white. To the right of the text is a fine line drawing of two hands reaching towards each other in white.)

02/03/2026

We all deserve a safe, affordable, and stable place to call home, and our communities are strongest when everyone has access to affordable, safe, and accessible housing.🩷

But 40% of Nebraska renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing alone. When families have to choose between housing and food, or housing and healthcare, it’s a sign we’re on the wrong path.

We need to change the story. 📖

Nebraskans voted for a better story, where renters aren’t turned away just because of how they pay. Source-of-income discrimination was successfully banned in Lincoln.

But Senator Dover wants to take source-of-income protections away from all Nebraskans through LB809. ❌ This would exacerbate our housing crisis and take away power from local communities to enact the fair housing policies they need.

Help us change the story by sharing yours. ✍️

✉️ Email or call members of the Judiciary Committee and tell them to ADVANCE source-of-income protections, not ban them.

✅ Vote YES to LB223
❌ Vote NO to LB809

Take action now at https://actionnetwork.org/letters/defend-our-right-to-a-home

(ID: Graphic with pink background with purple gradient and dark blue text of a poem, “For many Nebraskans, affordable housing is out of reach. While landlord profits soar, family savings shrink. This is not how the poem should end. In the upper right corner is a simple drawing of a thought bubble with a house inside. The house has a heart in place of the front door.)

01/16/2026

We all deserve a chance at home, but Senator Dover wants to take this chance away from all Nebraskans through LB809. ❌

Senator Dover started his career as a realtor, and being a state senator hasn’t stopped him from leveraging his public service position to cater to corporate interests. 💸Dover has a track record of introducing policies that only benefit wealthy realtors and landlords, from bans on affordable rent to tax breaks for luxury housing developers…

This January, Dover introduced LB809, which would take away existing fair housing protections and allow landlords to engage in source-of-income discrimination. Why? 🏚️Without protections, Dover’s realtor buddies can turn tenants away from housing just because of how they pay, hiding their unsafe properties from basic housing inspections and allowing them to segregate low-income renters into their worst properties.

Source-of-income discrimination has been banned in 23 states and 129 cities and towns across the U.S., including Lincoln, Nebraska. Our neighbors voted for source-of-income protections because we all deserve affordable, safe, and accessible housing to care for our loved ones and thrive. 🩷 From Beatrice to Scottsbluff, source-of-income discrimination impacts all Nebraskans, and every city and town deserves the chance to adopt protections for their community. We can’t let Senator Dover take this chance away.

Our Judiciary Committee has two options: 1) vote to advance fair housing through LB223 or 2) vote for discrimination to continue through LB809. ⚖️ What side do you want your senator to be on?

✉️ Join us to draft your testimony, emails, or online comments at Housing Tea Time & Testimony on Tuesday, January 20th, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso. Come and go when you need, and we'll be there to support your advocacy! Coffee & tea will be provided.

🖥️ Want to learn more about other housing bills this session? Join us online at A Housing Advocate's Guide to the Legislative Session on Thursday, January 22nd, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. RSVP at bit.ly/HAG-26.

⏰ Want to take action right now? Email or call members of the Judiciary Committee and tell them to ADVANCE source-of-income protections, not ban them.

✅Vote YES to LB223
❌Vote NO to LB809

See committee members emails and phone numbers at bit.ly/NE-LEG-JUDICIARY.

With your help, we can advance fair housing for ALL Nebraskans! 🩷

(ID: Cyan background with white gradient. At the top of the image are two houses on opposite sides of a spectrum. To the left, the house has a heart in the center. To the right, the house is broken in half. Below the houses is the text, “What side of history will your senator be on?” Below, there’s text about LB223 on the side of the heart house, and text about LB809 on the side of the broken house. On the side of the house heart (left), white text states, “LB223 protects all Nebraskans from source-of-income discrimination.” On the side of the broken house, white text states, “LB809 takes away protections, allowing discrimination to continue.”)

11/19/2025

Hey, housing advocates! We're back with Housing Tea Time today from 5 to 7 p.m. at Crescent Moon Coffee. ☕ Join our friends at Lincoln for Fair Housing to learn how you can advance fair housing through educating your neighbors about source-of-income protections, volunteering at upcoming events, and sharing your housing story! 🏡 At Housing Tea Time, you can connect with a community organizer to chat about your housing experiences, pick up renters' rights booklets and other housing resources, or just hang out with us!

(ID: Graphic promoting Housing Tea Time with aforementioned text in dark blue and white atop a light pink background. The text, "HOUSING TEA TIME" is displayed at the top of the image like a hanging door sign. Below is the text, "Tell us about your housing situation!" in dark blue. To the right of the text is a graphic of a tea bag in white with a dark blue outline. The tea bag is adorned with a blue heart, and the heart is filled with an image of a pink house. The house has a chimney on its left side with a pink heart emerging like smoke. The tea bag string wanders upwards in dark blue and connects to a white tag with a cyan heart on it. At the bottom of the image is the cyan Lincoln for Fair Housing logo.)

10/22/2025

Did you know that some landlords can decide not to rent to prospective tenants just because they rely on income sources like disability payments, social security, alimony, and more? This was the case in Lincoln, Nebraska—so residents fought back.

Advocates worked hard to pass a fair housing ballot measure, a tool that allows citizens to make change DIRECTLY at the ballot box instead of waiting for their elected officials to take action. And this summer, their work paid off: Lincoln residents voted to ban source-of-income housing discrimination.

At The Fairness Project, we are extremely proud to support grassroots campaigns like this. Each time voters pass a ballot measure of this kind, they are showing the rest of the country what is possible. Ballot measures are a powerful tool for direct democracy, and we need to protect them for generations to come.

09/23/2025

Hey, housing advocates! We're back with Housing Tea Time this Wednesday, September 24th, from 8 to 10 a.m. at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso. ☕ Join our friends at Lincoln for Fair Housing anytime between 8 and 10 a.m. to learn how you can advance fair housing through educating your neighbors about source-of-income protections, volunteering at upcoming events, and sharing your housing story! 🏡 At Housing Tea Time, you can connect with a community organizer to chat about your housing experiences, pick up renters' rights booklets and other housing resources, or just hang out with us!

(ID: Graphic promoting Housing Tea Time with aforementioned text in dark blue and white atop a cyan background. The text, "HOUSING TEA TIME" is displayed at the top of the image like a hanging door sign. Below is the text, "Tell us about your housing situation!" in white. To the right of the text is a graphic of a tea bag in white with a dark blue outline. The tea bag is adorned with a heart, and the heart is filled with an image of a pink house. The house has a chimney on its left side with a pink heart emerging like smoke. The tea bag string wanders upwards in dark blue and connects to a white tag with a cyan heart on it. At the bottom of the image is the pink Lincoln for Fair Housing logo.)

07/02/2025

When 66% of Lincoln voters voted to pass source-of-income-protections in May, it helped so many of our neighbors find stability, such as Elizabeth who shares her story in this article.

Source-of-income-protections have been successful in 22 states and 126 cities and counties, protecting over 57% of voucher holders across the United States. Now that Lincoln is among them, we must uphold the will of Lincoln voters who know that our community is stronger when all of us have a place to call home.

Opponents may take page from national playbook as Lincoln receives its first source-of-income complaints following voter approval of ballot measure

06/18/2025

Lincolnites have spoken, and we are now protected from source-of-income discrimination! We are so grateful to be part of this initiative and are excited to continue advocating for housing justice. Now, let's spread the word about source-of-income protections in Lincoln!

(ID: 2 graphics with dark blue and black text on a light pink background. Image 1: The text reads, "You are now protected from source-of-income discrimination! What is source-of-income discrimination,
and what can you do if you’ve experienced it? Source-of-income discrimination is the practice of refusing to rent to a prospective tenant because of their lawful source of income, such as Social Security, disability, and veteran benefits; child support payments; Section 8 or housing choice vouchers, other monetary or cash assistance from the government or nonprofits; or hourly wages." At the bottom of image 1 is a dark blue graphic of two hands holding each other in the shape of a heart. Image 2: The text reads, "What can you do if you’ve experienced source-of-income discrimination? If you have experienced source-of-income discrimination in housing, contact the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights (LCHR). Call LCHR at 402-441-7624 or complete a Human Rights Intake Questionnaire at lincoln.ne.gov/City/Departments/City-Attorneys-Office/LCHR to provide your contact information and a general picture of the discrimination you experienced. Once you have contacted LCHR, wait for them to reach out. A LCHR Civil Rights Investigator will contact you and help determine if your charge falls within their jurisdiction, answer any questions you may have, and file an official complaint if you so choose." At the bottom of the image is the Lincoln for Fair Housing logo in pink and dark blue with text to its right, "Learn More & Get Involved at FairHousingLNK.org")

05/07/2025

Unofficial final:
For: 67%
Against: 32%

Lincoln, you brought it home.

05/06/2025

Today, Lincolnites have the chance to ensure that all our neighbors, from our grandparents on fixed incomes to our grandchildren in working families, can access a safe and decent home! 🩷

Right now, landlords in Lincoln can discriminate against people just because of how they pay, such as social security, disability benefits, veterans benefits, and housing vouchers. ❌ This practice – called source-of-income discrimination – hurts our entire community, especially our elders, single mothers, people with disabilities, and Lincolnites of color.

We can do better to make Lincoln a more welcoming, safe, and affordable place to live and call home! By passing source-of-income protections, we can ensure that no Lincolnite is turned away from housing solely because of their lawful source of income. 🏠 Source-of-income discrimination has been banned in 22 states and 128 cities and towns across the U.S., cutting the voucher failure rate in half compared to places without these protections and helping families access the housing they need!

✅ When you get to your ballot today, vote FOR amending Title 11 of the Lincoln Municipal Code to prohibit source-of-income discrimination in Lincoln!

Polls are open from 8 AM to 8 PM today! 📍Find your polling location at votercheck.necvr.ne.gov/VoterView. 🗳️ Learn what else is on your ballot with this election guide from Flatwater Free Press at voterguide.flatwaterfreepress.org/how-to-vote-in-lincoln/

(ID: Photo of Lincolnites holding posters of three varieties in light pink, cyan, and dark blue. One poster says, “Fair Housing NOW,” another says, “Let’s Bring it Home,” and the last kind features the Lincoln for Fair Housing logo. Lincolnites are standing tall and smiling. Text in white is overlaid, saying “Vote FOR Fair Housing May 6!” at the top, and “Help us end source-of-income discrimination!” at the bottom.)

05/02/2025

Hey housing advocates, we can't wait to see you at Party to the Polls on election day!

While housing costs soar across the nation, Lincoln can be a leader in affordable housing! Vote FOR Fair Housing on May 6th & join us to celebrate our acts of civic engagement on election day! We'll have live music starting at 5 PM with Jonathan Leach and Jack Rodenburg! 🎶

🗓️Tuesday, May 6th, 4 - 7 PM. Live music starts at 5 PM.
📍Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso, 1624 South St.

The first 25 attendees get a free coffee or tea! ☕️ We can’t wait to see you there!

(ID: Graphic promoting the Party to the Polls event with a light pink background and aforementioned text in dark blue. A cyan disco ball outline and stars hang at the top of the image, and a cyan keyboard sits in the center-left of the image. The cyan Lincoln for Fair Housing logo sits at the bottom of the page along with a QR code that leads to FairHousingLNK.org.)

04/30/2025

We all deserve a chance at home, but Lincolnites are denied the opportunity to rent just because of their source of income. ❌ In fact, nearly 1 in 3 voucher recipients must return their voucher because they can't find a landlord who will accept it.

It's time for Lincoln to end source-of-income discrimination and ensure that every housing assistance tool and lawful source of income can be used to their fullest extent, ensuring that all our loved ones, from our grandchildren to our grandparents, can access a safe and decent home. 🩷

✅ Vote FOR Fair Housing on May 6! Learn more & get involved at FairHousingLNK.org!

(ID: Whimsical house drawing in cyan atop a light pink background. The house is crossed out with a dark blue diagonal line, and text above and below the house reads in blue, “Our neighbors are being turned away because of how they pay their rent.” More text sits below in dark blue, “Vote FOR Fair Housing on May 6 to ensure that no Lincolnite is discriminated against for their lawful source of income!”)