New screening criteria being considered
Jan. 3 meeting provides opportunity for
dialogue
SEATTLE—January 2, 2008—New
screening criteria with respect to applicants' criminal history will
be considered in a stakeholder meeting scheduled for 9 a.m. on
Jan. 3 in the PorchLight Community Room at
907 NW Ballard Way.
Seattle Housing is proposing to modify the
criminal background criteria currently in use to be generally less
stringent with respect to an applicant’s history of convictions.
Currently the Housing Authority requires a variable waiting period
after an applicant has been penalized or jailed for an offense. This
waiting period has ranged from 20 years for homicide to two years
for burglary or criminal assault. Seattle Housing is proposing to
change this waiting period to a uniform time of 12 months. This is
the standard currently in use by King County Housing Authority.
Proposed changes will add consistency,
uniformity
According to Lisa Cipollone-Wolters, the
proposed changes will increase efficiency and understanding of the
rules and regulations by instituting a uniform standard. "We see
this process as a way to reduce regulatory barriers to housing for
people who are homeless, and to further support the efforts of the
Committee to End Homelessness in King County," commented
Cippollone-Wolters. Currently, SHA and
the King County Housing Authority have different criteria, which
causes confusion among people who have applied for housing with both
of the local housing authorities.
Changes to remain consistent with HUD rules
The suggested new criteria will continue to
conform to regulations stipulated by the U. S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development. HUD currently mandates denials of applicants
for certain past criminal activity. SHA would continue to deny
Housing Choice Vouchers in accord with these regulations, which
include denial for methamphetamine production, a consistent pattern
of violent behavior and other serious crimes. For example, if a household has
been evicted from federally assisted housing for a drug-related
crime, that household is denied a voucher for a period of three
years from the eviction.
Within the guidelines cited above, Seattle
Housing has discretion to grant or deny applications based on
numerous factors including proof that household members have
completed drug rehabilitation.
Seattle Housing Authority’s Housing Choice
Voucher Administration Plan would be amended to reflect the changed
criteria.
Click here to see the specific changes proposed in the plan.
Landlords still apply individual screening
criteria
These regulations apply only to eligibility for
a voucher. Landlords in the program are expected to conduct their
own independent reference checks and may deny housing to an
applicant based on their determination that the applicant does not
meet their own tenant suitability standards.
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