FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 7, 2024

New York, NY - The Michigan Civil Rights Commission has issued a resolution supporting a series of housing bills including the Fair Chance Access to Housing Act (HB 4878). If passed, the Fair Chance Access to Housing Act would limit landlords’ abilities to discriminate against people with conviction histories by establishing a three-year lookback window and adjusting when and how criminal background checks can be used in the application process for rental housing.

In a press release issued after the Civil Rights Commission’s vote, the commission's general counsel, Lamont Satchel, said "[HB 4878] has particular interest to this commission because of the disproportionate impact that the current statute, with respect to how landlords may take into consideration criminal backgrounds, has on persons of color, particularly African American men."

Earlier in July, the Fair Chance Access to Housing Act received another endorsement from the Michigan Works! Association, the state’s primary workforce development association. In 2023, Michigan Works! partnered with Nation Outside and Public Policy Associates to conduct a statewide survey of people with conviction histories to determine barriers to employment and reentry. Focus group conversations highlighted the challenges that people with conviction histories face in securing safe, permanent, and affordable housing. As a result, Michigan Works! has made passage of the Fair Chance Access to Housing Act a policy priority in 2024.

The Vera Institute of Justice and Nation Outside have worked closely to pass Michigan's Fair Chance Access to Housing Act. The bill has been introduced in Michigan’s House of Representatives and advocates hope to see a Senate introduction in the fall.

“We welcome the Michigan Civil Rights Commission and Michigan Works! Association’s support for fair chance housing and urge state leaders to act on these recommendations,” said John Bae, director of Vera’s Opening Doors initiative. “People with a conviction history should not face a lifetime of discrimination when it comes to something as basic as a place to live. Thousands of Michiganders are routinely denied housing due solely to their conviction history. If passed, the Fair Chance Access to Housing Act will end this discrimination and help people find a place to call home.”

“Nation Outside applauds the Michigan Civil Rights Commission and Michigan Works! Association for listening to formerly incarcerated people and supporting legislation that will reduce the discrimination so many people experience when they’re trying to rebuild their lives after prison,” said Tony Gant, acting co-executive director of Nation Outside. “More than 30,000 people are currently incarcerated in Michigan state prisons and 95 percent of them will eventually return home. If we want people to succeed when they return home, we must pass the Fair Chance Access to Housing Act.”

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About the Vera Institute of Justice: The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal legal and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. Vera’s headquarters is in Brooklyn, New York, with offices in Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit vera.org.

About Nation Outside: Nation Outside is a statewide grassroots and advocacy organization entirely led by the justice-impacted and formerly incarcerated. Nation Outside’s mission is to drive policy and practice innovation that builds transformative systems of support for justice-impacted families and communities. For more information, visit nationoutside.org