Advocacy for the Michigan Fair Chance Housing Act
Jessilyn Averill
At this current moment there are 30,000 people currently incarcerated in Michigan state prisons, and 9% of them will eventually return home. The Michigan Fair Chance Housing Act provides the opportunity for previously incarcerated individuals to start fresh rather than being pushed out of society by the system into homelessness, which oftentimes leads to recidivism along with intergenerational poverty.
Back in June of 2022, Michigan State Representative Abraham Aiyash and over 20 co-sponsors introduced the “Michigan Fair Chance Housing Act”, House Bill 6242. The Fair Chance Housing Act does an incredible job of covering many of the bases in reducing discrimination against ex-offenders who are applying for rental housing.
The bill, per a letter from Nation Outside and the Vera Institute to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, and Speaker of the Michigan House Joe Tate, will:
Prohibit landlords from asking prospective tenants about their conviction histories during the initial screening process.
Postpone any criminal background check until a conditional offer is given to the prospective tenant.
Limit the use of criminal record screening to specific types of convictions within established timeframes.
Allow prospective tenants to request an individualized review of their conviction history and offer evidence of rehabilitation prior to final denial by the landlord.
Many cities across the state of Michigan have already begun instituting similar legislation starting with Detroit in 2019, Kalamazoo in 2020, and Ann Arbor and Jackson in 2021. From 2019 to 2022, Detroit has seen an 8% reduction in housing vacancy rates along with an increase in property values after the passage of the legislation. Just a few months ago in Ypsilanti, however, the same legislation was tabled due to immense pushback from landlords who believed that insurance and rent rates would rise because of the legislation. Though the bill excludes individuals with certain types of criminal convictions from the legislation, there is still concern about the safety of neighbors.
There are 2-3 million people in Michigan living with criminal convictions who deal with the risk of immediate rejection of housing after a background check. This disproportionately impacts Black men across the state because of the racism ingrained into our criminal legal system. Washtenaw Housing Alliance supports the passage of this bill to reduce the risk of housing instability, homelessness, and recidivism for previously incarcerated individuals. The bill has strong potential to help millions of Michiganders stay safe and housed despite a past criminal background.
The Washtenaw Housing Alliance joins statewide partners in amplifying and supporting the #HousingHomestretchCampaign, which includes advocating for the passing of HB 6242 in this legislative session (ending December 2024). Here is how to get involved in the Homestretch Campaign TODAY:
Sign on to support the campaign here: tinyurl.com/mtm7tr5b
Ask friends / family / neighbors / organizations to sign on to the campaign too!
Send a message to your legislators to urge their support of passing these 7 priorities bills before the end of the year. Find your rep at michiganvotes.org/legislators. Use the Housing Homestretch Email Template when reaching out to your electeds.