When David Goode, who was homeless and has AIDS, tried to rent an apartment from Goldfarb Properties using a New York City subsidy for HIV-positive people, he says the landlord refused to accept the subsidy as payment. As a result, Goode has filed a lawsuit, claiming Goldfarb violated a city law that bars discrimination based on a tenant’s income, The New York Times reports.

Goode’s lawsuit was filed in a Brooklyn court by Armen H. Merjian, a senior staff attorney for Housing Works, which fights the dual epidemics of homelessness and HIV.

According to the newspaper, the federal Fair Housing Act does not bar discrimination against a tenant’s source of income, but New York City does, as part of its Human Rights Law.

The city’s HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) has assisted more than 26,000 people with rent so far this year. Reliable housing is important for people with HIV, as it provides, shelter, stability, and a place to keep meds safe—which makes it easier to stick to a medical regimen.

Goode’s lawsuit claims that a Goldfarb employee told him, “We don’t accept HASA.”

Eventually, Goode found a landlord in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, who accepted the HASA subsidy.