Landlords shouldn’t ask applicants for criminal history, some Jackson residents say
JACKSON, MI — One of the first things a person needs when they leave prison is housing.
Hannah Burgess, who runs a parole mentorship program as a prisoner reentry and resource advocate for the Jackson-nonprofit Welcome Home Organization, often sees how formerly incarcerated people struggle to address their basic needs when their sentence ends.
“It’s kind of bailing out the bottom of the boat when they first get out. We try to get them those things,” she said.
Advocates for returning formerly incarcerated citizens to society could see a glimmer of hope, however, where housing is concerned. They are proposing the city of Jackson adopt an ordinance giving these people a better chance to apply for a place to live.
Tony Gant, regional coordinator for Nation Outside, said he and his group began pushing for a local law that dissuades landlords from avoiding applicants with felony convictions. Gant said they began their grassroots work in 2019, but the local election, and then the coronavirus pandemic, pushed it back.
The group saw an opening recently when the city hosted a public hearing to ask about how it could address housing needs, Gant said.
The proposed ordinance works similar to “ban the box” efforts that prevent employers from asking about felony convictions on initial applications. The “Fair Chance Housing Ordinance” would prevent landlords from asking about an applicant’s criminal history until a preliminary agreement is approved.
Then, landlords can run a background check. It’s at their discretion to approve or deny an applicant with a felony conviction if they believe the tenant would be a risk to others or the property. Detroit and Kalamazoo have recently adopted similar policies.
“It gives people a chance to get past what would be a door-closing barrier,” Gant said. “If we can get past that, I think we can make a lot of ground in getting people housing. It’s hard to do anything else if you don’t have a place to live.”
Nation Outside is working with Jackson Mayor Derek Dobies and Councilman Will Forgrave, Ward 6, to bring the proposed ordinance to City Council later in February, Dobies said.
“The response from the community so far is that people have an appetite to see this happen,” Gant said. “I think people understand that we’re not tying the hands of the landlord. We’re just saying, ‘Hey, give people a chance.’”
Advocates say the change is important because safe housing is a major contributor to the success of someone leaving the criminal justice system. Homelessness is one of the leading causes of reoffending, Burgess said. That’s because it can affect other challenges with reintegrating into society, such as applying for jobs without a permanent address and causing food insecurity. Policies that work to break down barriers help take people out of the cycle a conviction can create, she said.
“Incarceration without rehabilitation is just a holding pattern,” Burgess said.
Some in Jackson are already working on similar practices. Laurie Ingram runs the Jackson Housing Commission, the city’s public housing arm. She said the agency used to be allowed to deny applicants for a felony arrest — a process she described as “unspeakably unfair” — and made them wait five years from their release to be eligible for JHC housing.
They’ve since changed the policy to reflect a conviction had taken place and shortened the time to three years from conviction, meaning time served in jail or prison could count. Ingram said she hopes her organization being an early adopter of fair chance policies could take some of the weight off the city.
“There’s little doubt that policymaking in the justice system disproportionately and differently impacts communities of color,” Ingram said. “And certainly, housing policy in this country has a terribly, terribly racist history – not just history, but a terribly racist present in some cases.
“I think what has happened is that people use this idea of wanting to feel safe in their home to disenfranchise and discriminate against populations of people who are already marginalized by the systems that we have in society that are supposed to support them and help. Housing is no exception to that. Housing becomes just one more system that fails people.”
Source: mlive.com
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