SEATTLE — Even in Seattle's notoriously tight housing market, there are still places to rent.
But many places are likely off limits to anyone who has a criminal record.
“There's no evidence that having a criminal record affects your ability to be a tenant at all,” said Columbia Legal Services lawyer Merf Ehman.
She is one 18 people appointed to the mayor's Fair Chance Housing Committee. She said landlords should want the answer to just one question.
"Could this person make a good tenant?" asked Ehman. “And many landlords don't go that far. If you have a criminal record regardless of what it is, sometimes you're just out."
Committee member Augustine Cita works at the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle.
"This is an issue that I had to struggle with myself," said Cita, “being an ex-felon."
He said most landlords required checks that look 10 years into an applicant's background.
"I understand it's a risk for people to take," he said. "I get it. But housing is such an important asset, we can't get people stable if we can't get people housing."
Ehman struggled to get housing because of drug and mental health issues.
"People are actually safer when people with criminal records are housed," said Ehman.
She said the committee will work to draft a law that recognizes a person's past does not necessarily predict their future.
"We are not our worst act," said Ehman. "We are all much better than that, I think."
The committee is expected to finish its work in June.
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