Under the draft regulation, which is under review by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, anyone listed on the Sex Offender Register or convicted of drug manufacturing will be permanently banned from government-supported housing. Others with convictions for violent offenses would be banned for three years, nonviolent offenders would be banned for two years, and class A violations would result in a one-year ban.
The potential new rules, first reported in the Houston Chronicle, are opposed by proponents of fair housing.
“This will have a disastrous impact on potential customers who support housing projects,” Texas Housers attorney Elizabeth Roehm told The Chronicle Story. “Supportive housing projects are intended to serve very vulnerable groups of the population who may have had contact with the criminal justice system. In this case, the housing providers would have to sort out potential tenants. ”
Houston’s Coalition for the Homeless and New Hope Housing also have strong views.
“Firstly, I’m not sure what problem we’re trying to solve here, as I am completely unaware of the crime problems in TDHCA-funded assistive housing,” Joy Horak Brown, CEO of New Hope Housing, told the TDHCA- Board meeting on September 3rd. “What I am aware of is the strong potential for a fair housing breach or HUD differential impact breach embedded in a general review policy like the one proposed.”
TDHCA officials claim the proposal is based on complaints from residents who feel unsafe.
The board members are not convinced that the proposed change is justified.
“I just want to make sure we get a little more explanation and background on the subject of criminal background checking,” said Leo Vasquez, TDHCA board member. “I mean from my previous board of directors, the Texas Department of Justice, the re-entry of ex-offenders into society is really important.”
The agency is open to public comments until October 9th. Comments will be submitted to the board for review before the plan is sent to Governor Greg Abbott, who has until December 1 to approve.
