Housing as a Platform Proposal #2: Dismantle barriers for ex-offenders to get housing across the city
Return to 2019 Chicago Housing Agenda
Studies frequently show that housing is not just a challenge in welcoming citizens back to our communities, but access to affordable housing also reduces recidivism and is an important public investment. In 2016, the number of returning citizens in Chicago was an estimated 21,000 with parolees returning primarily to four zip codes in the city. This is a prime example of why all types of housing must become more welcoming (City Lab, August 10, 2017).
A recent study by BPI and Roosevelt University found that 74% of ex-offenders were denied a rental application and that many of the 26% who were not had not even tried to find housing (BPI Report, No Place To Call Home, 2018).
In large part, the movement to bar individuals with criminal record stems from steps taken by the Federal government in the 1990s, and though steps have been taken at the Federal to improve the policies, it is up to local governments to complete the movement back to equitable and smart policies for returning citizens. In this vein, Chicago should create a local fair housing ordinance creating a uniform standard for considering criminal records in the leasing process for all market-rate, public, subsidized and affordable properties.
Proposal 1. Outside of two lifetime bans (manufacturing or production of methamphetamines on the premises of federally-assisted housing and sex offenders), HUD affords local Housing Authorities discretion in the three general categories for criminal activity that can disqualify someone to get housing: drug-related criminal activity; violent crime activity; and other criminal activity that may threaten the health, safety, or right to peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other residents or anyone residing in the immediate vicinity. These should become the standard for all how landlords should consider criminal records in making leasing decisions (including the Chicago Housing Authority). With the decriminalization of cannabis, all public and private landlords in Chicago should no longer disqualify applicants based on past criminal activity resulting from it’s usage.
Proposal 2. All public and private landlords in Chicago should rely on a uniform “lookback” period of no more than 5 years in considering criminal activity. Policies should be implemented to encourage the consideration of activity within 5 years.
Proposal 3. If an applicant is participating in an one of a number approved counseling programs, landlords should be encouraged to be more lenient than the 5 year maximum look-back period permits. This progressive approach has already been incorporated into the Administration Plan of the CHA Housing Choice Voucher Program as a result of the successful reentry pilot program at the request of a coalition of local organizations and serves to promote community-based services that can help ex-offenders in finding and maintaining housing as well as other facets of a successful transition home (City Lab, August 10, 2017).
