Locked Out! Criminal History as a Barrier to Housing Access

The Justice Center hosts the second installment of the Opportunity Forum’s 2016-17 Lunch Series, Hot Topics in Access to Opportunity, which focuses on criminal history as a barrier to housing access. Nearly one in three U.S. adults holds a criminal record. Accessing safe and affordable housing is an urgent need for many of these individuals, but a criminal background presents immense barriers to securing housing in the Austin region. This event explores innovative work going on in New Orleans and elsewhere to reduce these barriers and to increase housing access for individuals with criminal histories. The event will also examine new federal fair housing guidance regarding landlords’ use of criminal records to screen tenants.

Keynote:

Sara Pratt | Counsel
Relman, Dane & Colfax
Washington D.C.
Panelists:

Greg Casar | Council Member
Austin City Council

Fred Fuchs | Attorney & Housing Group Coordinator
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

David Mintz | Vice President of Government Affairs
Texas Apartment Association

Bruce Reilly | Deputy Director
Voice of the Experienced (VOTE)
New Orleans, LA

Moderator:

Helen Gaebler | Senior Research Attorney
William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law
The University of Texas at Austin

Co-Sponsors:
The William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law
The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs
The Institute for Urban Policy Research & Analysis
The Longhorn Center for Community Engagement 
The Graduate Program in Community & Regional Planning 
Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable