We are excited to announce that the more than 1 million residents of Cook County with arrest and conviction records are now protected from housing discrimination!

On April 25, 2019, the Just Housing Amendment. was voted into law by the Cook County Board. This measure will ensure housing providers do not discriminate against applicants with arrest and conviction records. The passage of the amendment came after a hearing of the Cook County Human Relations Committee, during which justice-involved individuals gave testimony on how they are often denied access to safe and secure housing, the foundation in building a new life.

Veteran and community leader Troy O'Quin was joined by his wife and 9-year old twin daughters as he testified about his difficulties accessing housing due to his past record.

"It takes only a second to break the law but a lifetime to live with the consequences," he told the commissioners. "One second, one crime, one serious lack of judgment...in America, this can be a life sentence."

The amendment, which goes into effect this November, will ensure that housing providers and housing authorities do not consider certain aspects of criminal records—such as arrests, juvenile records, and sealed and expunged records—when making housing determinations. For applicants with a conviction on their record, housing providers will need to conduct an individualized assessment and consider factors such as the nature of the offense and the time that has passed since the offense.

One in three Americans has an arrest record before they turn 23, and jurisdictions across the country have passed similar fair housing measures as an integral component of criminal justice reform. Blanket housing bans against people with records disproportionately impacts Black and Brown families, and people with disabilities, and are often an avenue for race- and disability-based discrimination. Research also shows that when individuals with records have stable homes, recidivism rates are reduced.

Of the seventeen commissioners, only two voted against the proposal. If you are a constituent of one of these commissioners, we hope you will join us in urging them to support just housing.