Advocates Urge NYC to Ban Criminal Background Checks for Apartment Applicants
By David Brand 06/09/2021 @ www.citylimits.org
The Fair Chance for Housing Act would bar landlords and brokers from conducting criminal background checks on prospective tenants, a barrier to housing for the formerly incarcerated and their families.
Devone Nash has spent thousands of dollars on apartment applications, only to be denied by brokers and landlords after a routine background check.
Nash, 51, recently received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and cares for a nephew inside a family homeless shelter, but says his past convictions have prevented him from finding a permanent home. He says he became homeless when his landlord learned of his seven-year federal prison term and kicked him out of a rented room.
“He said he didn’t want any criminals in his house,” Nash says.