A Fair Chance at Housing — Nation Outside (Michigan)
Summary
Nation Outside, a Michigan advocacy organization led by justice impacted and formerly incarcerated people with 7 regional chapters, presents the case for fair chance housing. It cites a MSHDA survey finding that people with conviction histories faced the highest levels of housing discrimination, and says 63 percent of Michigan landlords indicate criminal records have been a factor in denying tenancy. It says formerly incarcerated people are 10 times more likely to be unhoused and that 4 million Michiganders have some type of criminal background. It proposes a statewide rule that would postpone background checks until a conditional offer and limit the use of criminal records, following local measures in Detroit, Kalamazoo, Jackson and Ann Arbor.
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“A Fair Chance at Housing — Nation Outside (Michigan).”
Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2023-05-16-testimony-hecon-2023-amy-hovey-39291-231df21c60/
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A Fair
Chance at
Housing
Who We Are:
Nation Outside is a grassroots and advocacy organization
entirely led by the justice impacted and formerly incarcerated
with 7 regional chapters.
Mission:
To drive policy & practice reforms that build transformative
systems of support for justice impacted people and their
communities.
Vision:
We envision a society where our communities are safe and
vibrant, all people are treated with dignity and respect, and
justice and fairness are available to everyone.
Housing is a Human Right
A person’s conviction
history should never
be a barrier to
housing.
Michigan: Housing barriers
A MSHDA survey found that people with conviction histories in MI faced
the highest levels of housing discrimination overall.
63 percent of Michigan landlords indicate that criminal records have
been a factor in denying tenancy.
4 million Michiganders have some type of criminal background and 10
percent of Michigan children have experienced parental incarceration.
Estimates of people excluded from public
housing in MI
Public housing
only makes up
13 percent of
Michigan’s
rental housing
market.
Homelessness and Housing Insecurity
Formerly incarcerated
10x
people are 10 times more
likely to be unhoused than
the general public.
203
The relationship between
homelessness and
incarceration is cyclical, as
housing instability increases
per 10,000 formerly incarcerated the likelihood of future
people are homeless system involvement.
Stable housing increases public safety
• Reduces homelessness, reduces Michigan opinion polling
law enforcement contact,
reduces crime.
• Decreases the probability of
committing a crime by 80
percent.
• Study: Odds of recidivism
decreased by 83 percent.
The human impact of barriers
Michigan moving in
the right direction
2019: Detroit Fair Chance Housing
2020: Kalamazoo
2021: Jackson and Ann Arbor
Statewide Fair Chance Housing
Prohibit landlords from asking potential tenants about their conviction history
during the initial screening process.
Postpone any background check until landlords give a conditional offer to the
potential tenant.
Limit the use of criminal record unless that record would impact public safety,
property, or other tenants adversely.
Allow potential tenants to offer evidence of rehabilitation prior to final denial
by the landlord.
Thank you!
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