|
Case Spotlight: Breaking Down Barriers to Housing
About 77 million Americans, or one in three adults, have a criminal record. For many of them, finding housing is already hard. It should never be harder because of their race.
A criminal record is not a protected characteristic under federal or state fair housing laws, but that does not mean it's never a fair housing issue. Some local cities do protect it, such as Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Detroit, and others. In many of our communities, housing providers can often consider criminal records when screening applicants, but they must apply their screening policies the same way to everyone.
In 2023, our Testing Department investigated a local landlord and found they were applying their criminal background screening differently based on race. Black and Latino testers were told they would not qualify to rent because of their criminal history. White testers with similar histories were told they qualified and were encouraged to apply.
We filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and settled in 2025. The landlord changed their policies and processes, and staff at the property agreed to complete fair housing training. Now, every future applicant at that property will be screened using the same rules and discriminatory barriers were removed from 71 housing units.
Discriminatory screening like this happens too often in our communities, and it goes beyond criminal history. Citizenship, credit score, and other checks can be used in the same unfair way. Applicants cannot see how others are treated behind the leasing desk, which is why our testing program is so vital. Last year, 35% of the 305 fair housing tests we completed found evidence of discrimination.
If you were told you didn't qualify for housing and suspect it wasn't fair, we want to hear from you! Call 616-451-2980 or email contact-us@fhcwm.org. Housing providers who would like help reviewing their screening criteria can reach out to us as well.
| 
