[The Seattle Times] Seattle set to prevent landlords from considering applicants’ criminal records. Seattle landlords would be almost completely prohibited from screening prospective tenants based on their criminal histories, under a proposed ordinance approved by a City Council committee Tuesday. The only people who could be denied housing based on their criminal histories would be those listed on sex-offender registries because of adult convictions. And landlords denying housing to such sex offenders would still need to state a legitimate business reason for doing so. Read more
Read MoreTag: Housing
Sex offender housing and mobility – New research
A new study looks at the residential patterns of registered sex offenders 15 years after arrest. Full Article
Read MoreCT: State Supreme Court Overturns Denial Of Rental Assistance To Sex Offender
The state Supreme Court has ruled that housing officials improperly removed a man from Connecticut’s rental assistance program because his name was on the state’s sex offender registry. The state Department of Housing issued a regulation in 2012 that made those on the registry ineligible for housing assistance. But the court ruled Thursday that the regulation cannot be applied retroactively to those who already were in the program. Full Article
Read MoreCT: Connecticut Is Rethinking Its Policies Toward Jobs and Housing for Sex Offenders
Before she started work at New Haven’s Columbus House as senior manager of housing services, Cathleen Meaden’s job was housing people whose crimes were seemingly unforgivable. Her charges were people on the state’s sex offender registry, and when she’d talk to people about her job, the reaction was often not-very-hidden disgust that she worked in close proximity with people who’d committed such heinous crimes. Full Article
Read MoreEvent Information: Reentry Housing Options for Sex Offenders
Tuesday, April 19, 2016 2:00 pm – Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00) Registered sex offenders face numerous barriers to finding stable housing when they return to the community from jail or prison. Improved housing stability reduces the likelihood of recidivism and makes it easier for registered sex offenders to comply with the terms of their parole or probation. However, creating transitional and permanent housing solutions for registered sex offenders often faces substantial push-back from communities, making it difficult to fund and operate these housing programs. Event Details
Read MoreFL: Landlord Bucks Trend, Offers Housing to Sex Offenders
Laws that restrict where sex offenders can live when they are released from prison leave many homeless, but one south Florida apartment manager is providing housing opportunities by leasing apartments to offenders on liberal terms. “I just believe that everybody deserves a second chance,” said Pamela Eaton, the manager of Fairfield Apartments in south Fort Myers. She indicated her goal is to help sex offenders become independent and productive citizens, “because everybody makes mistakes.” She considers post-release housing one step in that direction. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Village becomes refuge for sex offenders
Pahokee (United States) (AFP) – Deep in the swamps of southern Florida, Miracle Village lies miles away from the nearest town, surrounded by sugar cane fields. Nearby, the irrigation canals are swarming with alligators. While the name suggests an idyllic rural getaway, the former plantation near Pahokee now is almost exclusively home to men who spent time in prison for sex crimes. Full Article
Read MoreIreland: Councils to house sex offenders in radical new plan
SEX offenders should be given homes by local authorities on their release from prison, according to a report being considered by Justice Minister Alan Shatter. A high-level plan devised by a number of powerful state agencies recommends that sex offenders be placed in social housing estates and apartment complexes so as to avoid homelessness. The plan, which relates to the Dublin region, is designed to assist sex offenders who have just left prison or returned from abroad. Full Article
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