Matt Driscoll
Criminal histories shouldn’t unnecessarily stop people from getting housing in Tacoma
It would be a small but meaningful step.
Whether it’s one the Tacoma Housing Authority will take remains a mystery, even to executive director Michael Mirra.
“I’m not sure where this is going to go next,” Mirra said this week, when asked about a proposal to reduce the public housing agency’s reliance on criminal background checks when determining who gets housing and who does not.
It’s not an idea that fell from the sky. Far from it. Over the last several years, it’s one THA has been studying intently and thoughtfully considering, inspired in part by a 2016 research project looking at the connection between race and homelessness in Pierce County.
That study identified criminal histories as a consistent barrier to housing, with people of color disproportionately affected.
It’s one of the many reasons why THA — and its board — would be wise to move forward.
Other public housing agencies across the country have reduced their dependence on criminal background checks. In doing so, they’ve aided much needed criminal justice reform efforts, reduced homelessness, helped people successfully exit incarceration and kept families together.
It’s time for Tacoma to do the same.
As Mirra and much of the research suggests, reviewing an applicant’s criminal history — as THA currently does — serves a purpose, but a very small one.
When relied on too heavily, it does far more harm than good, excluding tenants who need and deserve the help while also taking a toll on the surrounding community and perpetuating harmful racial disparities.
As it stands, THA disqualifies housing applicants at its properties who are sex offenders or who have been convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine.
Under the proposed changes to THA’s use of criminal background checks, that would stay the same.
What would change is how far back THA looks when considering other criminal history, specifically felony convictions for drug use, violent crimes or threatening offenses.
Currently, THA reviews the last five years of an applicant’s criminal history. Under the proposed changes, the period would be reduced to a year.
Even more important and meaningful, anyone with a conviction on their record for one of the offenses listed above would get the chance to meet with a review panel before THA decides the fate of their housing application.
In other words, every applicant would have a fair and legitimate shot at receiving the housing assistance they desperately need, even if they’ve made mistakes in the past.
That’s precisely as it should be.
“Our job is to house people. Our focus in housing people is on the neediest. And people with criminal histories show up in that category,” Mirra said. “We don’t want to use (a criminal history) beyond its value, because if you do that you may be turning down people unnecessarily,”
THA’s own experience suggests that’s likely what’s happening under its current criminal history policy — to a small but still meaningful degree.
As part of its review, Mirra said THA looked back over several years of data, including reviewing the cases of tenants who had been evicted or run into trouble with criminal infractions and complaints while receiving rental assistance.
According to an 80-page report the housing agency released earlier this year, the review “did not show any meaningful relationship between past criminal history and un/successful tenancy.”
While only about 2% of THA applicants are denied because of their criminal histories, that still often equates to dozens of people every year, and as the same report notes, “each person denied housing is another person at-risk of not receiving the support they need to successfully reenter their community.”
It also raises the important question:
How many people aren’t applying at all, because they know the current rules are stacked against them?
With his agency engaged in a outreach effort and seeking public comments, Mirra said THA’s board is expected to take up the matter in September. The board will be presented with all the data that’s been collected here in Tacoma, as well as an overview of research from across the country and an official recommendation from staff.
While it’s too soon to know what the housing agency’s board will decide, one lesson already gleaned felt especially telling to Mirra.
When surveyed, THA residents expressed understandable concern about safety, including sharing frustrations about the current levels of crime and nuisance in their neighborhoods.
While sentiments were mixed, many also said proposed changes to the way THA looks at criminal history are worth a shot.
“I was a little surprised by their willingness to acknowledge that people need a second chance,” Mirra said.
“Our tenants, probably more than most, appreciate what housing can do for you, and they want to share that blessing with others — as long as we do it smart.”
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