New reentry housing report highlights impact of criminal convictions on access to federally subsidized housing in Cuyahoga County
A new report from The Reentry Housing Committee highlights the extent to which Cuyahoga County’s federally subsidized housing providers may deny housing based upon prior criminal convictions. The report, “A Never-Ending Sentence: The Impact of Criminal Conviction in Project-Based Section 8 Housing Tenant Selection Plans in Cuyahoga County,” addresses the collateral consequences of criminal convictions on access to the county’s subsidized housing.
The Reentry Housing Committee, now operating as the Reentry Policy & Advocacy Committee, is dedicated to investigating barriers to successful reentry and advancing housing recommendations that make meaningful change for the reentrant community. The committee includes representation from several organizations that provide services in housing, shelter and criminal justice reform.
“Systemic racism plays a significant role in our local housing crisis through policies and practices of mass incarceration, police brutality, redlining, and evictions. The findings and recommendations of this report are aimed at naming the impact of systemic racism in our local affordable housing market and offering a more equitable path forward.” said Kris Keniray from the Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research.
The review of Tenant Selection Plans (TSPs) shows that criminal convictions, even from misdemeanors, have a long-term impact on access to Project-Based Section 8 Housing in Cuyahoga County. Blanket bans, or screening policies that automatically deny applicants with certain criminal convictions without considering mitigating information, have a disproportionate and discriminatory effect on African American and Latinx applicants.
The Reentry Housing Committee offers recommendations to end collateral consequences related to housing in Cuyahoga County. These recommendations highlight tenant organizing strategies, landlord promotion and homeownership tactics, and the study of the disparate impact of criminal convictions on housing options. Lastly, the report offers recommendations for Project-Based Section 8 housing providers on the need to revise TSPs in order to eliminate criminal convictions as grounds to disqualify applicants.
“Reentry is hard enough without the additional barrier of housing. Every citizen returning home deserves fair and equal housing and the opportunity to reconnect with their families and communities,” said Heather Pederson from EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute, an organization serving the reentry community. “We are doing our reentry community a great disservice by barring people from housing when they have already paid their debt to society and are ready to move forward with their lives.”
relays important information not only to people reentering from incarceration and their families and housing providers, but also to those in the judicial system, members of the criminal defense bar, and organizations and individuals seeking to address their needs.