Expand fair housing law to help homeless people rent apartments

Housing & HomelessnessHousing

In Plain English

Richmond has a law that helps formerly incarcerated people access rental housing by limiting landlord background checks. The city wants to expand this law to also help homeless people who face rental barriers due to poor credit, lack of employment history, or previous homelessness. If approved, landlords cannot automatically reject homeless applicants who can afford the rent.

Auto-generated summary. Source: official agenda documents.

Votes

require the City Manager's Office to return with a report on implementation results of the city's current Fair Chance Ordinance and work with the Safe Return Project organization to improve and modify the current ordinance and direct city staff to work on a new ordinance that removes barriers for the unhoused community to access housing and prohibit illegal discrimination, overzealous tenant screening applications, and promotes housing and real property availability and access to everyone

Moved by: Councilmember Claudia JimenezSeconded by: Vice Mayor Eduardo Martinez

Passed

7 to 0

Thomas K. ButtAye

Nathaniel BatesAye

Claudia JimenezAye

Demnlus Johnson IIIAye

Gayle McLaughlinAye

Melvin WillisAye

Eduardo MartinezAye