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Trump delivers profanity, below-the-belt digs at Catholic charity banquet; Poll finds Harris leads among Black voters in key states; Puerto Rican parish leverages solar power to build climate resilience hub; TN expands SNAP assistance to residents post-Helene; New report offers solutions for CT's 'disconnected' youth.

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Longtime GOP members are supporting Kamala Harris over Donald Trump. Israel has killed the top Hamas leader in Gaza. And farmers debate how the election could impact agriculture.

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New rural hospitals are becoming a reality in Wyoming and Kansas, a person who once served time in San Quentin has launched a media project at California prisons, and a Colorado church is having a 'Rocky Mountain High.'

New Measure Aims to End Criminal-Record Discrimination in Housing

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Friday, April 8, 2016   

DES MOINES, Iowa - Tens of thousands of Iowans have either a felony or misdemeanor conviction, and can face discrimination when looking for a home. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development took a step this week to help give these individuals a second chance.

A new guidance released by HUD makes it clear that blanket bans on selling a home or renting an apartment to anyone with a criminal records is illegal discrimination in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Rebecca Vallas, managing director for anti-poverty policy at the Center for American Progress, believes it should be applauded.

"This measure has the potential to address housing discrimination, to help families reunify and stay together, and to save taxpayer dollars in the form of reduced incarceration costs," she said, "all while increasing public safety."

Vallas said safe and stable housing is critical to successful re-entry and can reduce recidivism, yet four out of five landlords use criminal background checks when vetting potential renters.

Alex Kornya, assistant litigation director for Iowa Legal Aid, said this is an issue for many of their clients. He shared the story of a woman whose struggles to afford both food and medicine led her to shoplift. He said that conviction meant she was paying about 90 percent of her earnings on housing.

"Now, of course, I'm not condoning theft," he said, "but it was a crime of poverty and ultimately it led to her being denied housing that would have been more affordable that would have conversely allowed her to better meet the basic needs of life: food, shelter, medicine."

April is Fair Housing Month, aimed at building awareness about housing-rights discrimination.

More information about the HUD guidance is online at portal.hud.gov.


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