About three months ago I posted (and gloated) about an increased interest among fair housing advocates about the lack of apartment housing for those with criminal records.  I quoted from the earlier brochure on the program coming up next month (August) at the John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Support Center.  I have just received my new brochure for “The Disconnect between Crime and Discrimination in Housing”.  Here are some of the blurbs:

• “…background checks make it difficult for many persons convicted of a crime – even in the distant past – to find housing where they want to live.”
• Because a disproportionate number of those with a criminal background are African-Americans, and because women are increasing in the system (and many offenders have physical or mental limitations that are FHA disabilities), “Is the denial of housing an intentional act of discrimination?”
• “Can advocates show that the impact of restrictions on ex-offenders limits the ability of protected classes to obtain housing?”

Experienced litigators (that means people who sue!) and government officials will discuss the fair housing implications of the restrictions tied to criminal background checks in housing.  One session on the agenda is titled “Ex-Offenders as a New Protected Class – Mobilizing for Action”.

Does our industry need to mobilize as well – perhaps re-think the parameters of what really matters when someone brings the proverbial “checkered past” to the application process?

Just saying…