SEATTLE—March 21, 2008—New screening criteria with respect to applicants' criminal histories have been considered in a series of stakeholder meetings over the past two months.
Seattle Housing Authority staff has met with nonprofit housing providers, Section 8 landlords, Seattle Police Officers and concerned members of the Southeast Seattle community to discuss the changes. The Board of Commissioners will likely vote on the proposal in late April.
"We are aware that opinions about this change vary widely among these stakeholder groups," commented Lisa Cipollone-Wolters, Seattle Housing's director of rental assistance programs. "Some community members are concerned about adequate screening of voucher holders, while others see this change as a good way to support ex-offenders who want to rebuild their lives."
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.
According to Cipollone-Wolters, the proposed changes will increase efficiency and understanding of the rules and regulations by instituting a uniform standard for Seattle and King County housing authorities. "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," she said.
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.
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.