Compliance in Public Housing Policies for Justice-Involved Individuals

• In Event: Background Checks and Life after Conviction

Abstract

In 2023, the Department of Housing and Urban Development launched an action plan to remove unnecessary barriers to housing for people with criminal records. This plan proposes for public housing authorities to change current policies to be inclusive for justice-involved individuals, citing the disproportionate number of people with disabilities and people of color involved in the criminal justice system as main motivations for the reform. However, few studies have studied public housing access for such individuals, and even fewer have been conducted post the major 2023 HUD policy change, which further aims to limit the use of criminal records in public housing admission decisions and eligibility. This study is largely exploratory and seeks to explore public housing authority compliance with the recent housing policy changes. Using housing policy documents for the highest population serving county public housing authorities (PHAs), based on housing units within the jurisdiction, I will examine whether these housing policies can be considered clearly compliant, technically compliant, or non-compliant with the new guidelines. This study will provide information on the state of compliance (or non-compliance) of the highest-serving PHAs, which will better inform our current understanding of housing policies for justice-involved individuals in the United States.

Author

• Selena Munoz-Jones, University of Colorado Boulder