Not in my town.
A common refrain one might expect when announcements are made regarding Sex Offender housing priority.
Recently, in Cayuga County, Sex Offender housing continues to be a point of contention.
From an editorial at AuburnPub.com (Sep. 02, 15):
Providing emergency shelter to parolees falls to counties. Parolees without housing resources are sent to the county of sentencing at discharge and we are required to house them. We cannot give out bus tickets and send people to other counties. Emergency housing is governed by law and regulation. (1)
Housing Sex Offenders and parolees can often cause considerable concern within the community. Sex Offenders must live by very specific rules, based on law, as to where they can live and how close to schools, parks, etc. those living arrangements may be.
From the Opinion Page at the NYTimes.com (Sep. 08, 15):
In some places, … “predator-free zones” put an entire town or county off limits, sometimes for life, even for those whose offenses had nothing to do with children. (2)
In truth Sex Offender registrants, as well as parolees need to be housed somewhere. Sometimes the State will mandate a location and rent a home or apartment on behalf of the parolee.
In Ionia, MI such an arrangement has been made, much to the concern of citizens living nearby.
From the Sentinel-Standard.com (Sep. 02, 15):
Deputy Mayor Kim Patrick spoke at length about his displeasure with the MDOC having the house in town available for former prisoners. He said he expects the council is going to have more people contacting them about the situation. (3)
Adam Almeida, President and CEO of TenantScreeningUSA.com states: “Providing housing for registered Sex Offenders and parolees can be a challenging effort. One might have to consider a broader tenant background check, rely on the guarantee of another person such as a family member, or work with local police officials. In a time of high occupancy rates it is difficult for the parolee or registrant as well.”
Second chances are rare and second chances for parolees may become a matter for the Federal Government and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
From truth-out.org (Mar. 15, 15):
Advocates are organizing against what they say is an overlooked civil rights issue: the exclusion of ex-offenders, overwhelmingly people of color, from public and subsidized housing. Many subsidized housing providers employ lifetime bans against people with criminal records, despite a stated commitment to “second chances” by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). (4)
Almeida states: “As federal agencies continue to focus on civil rights issues, such as the use of criminal histories as a part of pre-employment, their eyes could soon gain a greater focus on Housing.”
There are notable exceptions where groups or companies are stepping up and providing housing second chances. One such group, Second Chance Rentals, is providing housing opportunity in Tucson, Arizona.
From KJZZ.org (Aug. 24, 2015):
Second Chance Rentals brought its practice of renting to felons and evictees, a population other landlords might consider high-risk, to the Tucson market this summer. (5)
Almeida states: “In the end parolees will require housing and it may become a civil rights issue. Landlords and property managers need to work with third-party tenant screening companies in order to stay ahead of new legislation governing the use of public records as part of tenant screening.”
TenantScreeningUSA.com is a third-party tenant screening company with experienced employees committed to keeping their clients compliant within the laws governing tenant screening. Working with landlords and property managers large and small, TenantScreeningUSA.com can help create a thorough tenant screening package.
Notes:
(1) auburnpub.com/news/opinion/columnists/guest-column-cayuga-county-has-made-sex-offender-housing-solution/article_393decf0-91b9-58d5-9c32-ee50c614547f.html
(2) nytimes.com/2015/09/08/opinion/the-pointless-banishment-of-sex-offenders.html?
(3) sentinel-standard.com/article/20150904/NEWS/150909447
(4) truth-out.org/news/item/29584-no-second-chances-when-it-comes-to-housing
(5) kjzz.org/content/182293/arizona-apartment-rental-company-gives-felons-second-chance
