To the Editor:

I was met at the door of a rental house by a landlord who said “there are three stipulations for renting here – no waterbeds, no pets and no housing assistance.”

When the landlord was asked why these were stipulated, she replied because previous ISU renters had gutted out the house which led to a remodeling job costing $5000 and because the students had a dog which dug holes in the yard and bit up the window sills.

How about the rest of you landlords in Ames? Who do you rent to? Drunken ISU students whose rich daddies send them to school or women that are struggling to take care of their children and provide a home for them?

It’s about time for the city of Ames to realize that their fair city is a place where unfair housing discrimination is practiced and motherhood is a thing of the past. But just remember this: the students going to ISU now are going to be the parents of the next generation of student renters.

Do you think they will take any better care of other rentals in Ames which you landlords say have been destroyed by students you have rented to in the past?

Why isn’t housing done in a fair and non-discriminatory manner? Why is it done based on whether you are a person receiving assistance from the United States government? This definitely is an indication of who and what is trusted in this nation and evidently it is not the U.S. government and its so-called help programs for the needy.

Rental assistance is an anathema to both the large realty companies in this town and to all the private landlords here and in surrounding areas. How do I know? Because I’ve gone through an intensive search for a home in Ames and in surrounding areas with the stigma of a housing assistance certificate.

Yet, everywhere we go, we are advised of all the damage previously done by ISU students. Then why is not one of the stipulations for renting no ISU students? In fact, the landlords don’t ask me how many degrees I’ve received but they do advise me that they do not accept any housing assistance certificates.

Fair housing in Ames? No way!!! Yes, all kinds of tenants destroy or don’t take care of properties but don’t blame and label every person with a housing assistance certificate “trash.”

Perhaps you landlords should admit that you don’t like to be held accountable for following government regulations any more than the average citizen of this country. But you hold the power of this nation in your hands because you own the land!!!

Whatever the reason, it makes a decent person looking for housing in your fair city want to give up trying to live here and raise their children here.

Lorraine F. Powell

Ames resident