Seattle fair housing law, which may be the most progressive in the country, is being challenged by some landlords. The Fair Chance Housing Ordinance prevents landlords from checking prospective tenants’ criminal histories when evaluating tenant applications.
One of the goals of the law was to reduce racial disparities in access to housing. In 2018, African Americans made up 6.8% percent of the overall population and 36.8% of the prison population in Seattle’s King County.
Removing obstacles to housing for people with criminal histories can be essential to enable formerly incarcerated individuals to reintegrate into society and decrease the chances of them re-offending.
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