A new report calls for public housing authorities to change certain policies to prevent excluding people with criminal records.

The Prison Policy Initiative report finds some public-housing policies work against people who once were convicted, for instance, of using marijuana. While it's legal in 37 states and Washington D.C., the Department of Housing and Urban Development prohibits marijuana use in public housing, since it is still illegal at the federal level.

Wanda Bertram, communications strategist for the Prison Policy Initiative, said access to housing is critical to help people restart their lives.

"Someone coming out of prison might have a whole host of issues to work on," Bertram explained. "They might have a health issue, they may have a substance use problem, they might have a mental illness. These are all issues that are disproportionately prevalent among people leaving prison. They might not have very many job prospects, but in order to begin tackling all of those problems, they need a place to live."

In Connecticut, legislation to ensure landlords would not discriminate against prior offenders stalled in the General Assembly. The state's "Clean Slate Law," which erases the criminal records of those who remain crime-free for an extended period, went into effect this year, but it only applies to people convicted of misdemeanors and lower-level felonies.

The report recommends public housing authorities could be more inclusive by removing lengthy "look-back periods" in screening prospective renters, and issuing clear explanations about why a person was denied housing. Bertram noted changes to the appeals process would also aid people with criminal records.

"With public housing authorities there's always, in theory, an option to appeal if you're denied," Bertram acknowledged. "There should be an option to have the authority review your case. Now, authorities need to make that option basically guaranteed to everybody who's denied, including people who are denied based on a criminal record."

HUD issued guidance in 2016 and in 2022 to ensure public housing authorities do not exclude people on the basis of a criminal record, but there is no clear picture of whether they are following the guidance.

In the past two years, homelessness in America has risen only 1%, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - which nonetheless reports a divide between urban and rural areas. In New Mexico, homelessness declined by one-third in the past decade, according to a summary delivered to state lawmakers by the Legislative Finance Committee.

Jeff Olivet, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, said having enough rent to stay housed requires finding a job that pays a decent wage - often harder in rural areas - where even a 10-mile distance can be a huge barrier.

"To get from a place that's affordable to live to a job that pays a living wage - if you don't have a vehicle - there's just not the public transportation infrastructure or any way to get there," he said.

New Mexico's emergency homeless shelter capacity has more than doubled since 2016, with progress especially noted in Albuquerque. The report to the Legislature showed that on any given night, New Mexico has about 2,600 people who are homeless.

Like many other states, the supply of affordable housing in New Mexico has declined - by 50% over a recent 20 year period, according to the recent report. That makes finding housing especially tough for individuals struggling with mental health and substance-abuse issues, and in those cases treatment is often only available in larger cities such as like Albuquerque or Santa Fe, according to Olivet.

"In many rural parts of the country, rural New Mexico for example - where's there's just massive distance, even if they're wanting to get treatment, ready to go into treatment - there's no place available within 100-miles, 200 miles," he said.

The HUD report showed during the pandemic, economic stressors and the dramatic increase in rental costs drove homelessness upward, but large investments by states and the federal government through the American Rescue Plan reduced the overall numbers nationwide.

The Nevada Housing Justice Alliance, tenants, lawmakers and community leaders gathered at a news conference outside the Capitol in Carson City this week to rally for legislation to expand legal protections for renters and increase rent control.

According to lawmakers, Nevada rent prices soared above the rest of the country last year. They said access to affordable housing is a top issue facing families.

Assmeblywoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong, D-Las Vegas, said her bill, Assembly Bill 340, intends to change the summary eviction process. Currently in order to challenge an eviction in Nevada, tenants must make the first court filing. She said changing this would allow renters a chance to defend themselves.

"Something must be done," she said. "We cannot move forward another legislative session pretending like we don't have a crisis. We have a crisis."

Summers-Armstrong said her bill aims to change the procedure so that landlords would first have to go to court to have a tenant evicted, and provide them with plenty of notice to answer the complaint. She said it creates a more "fair legal process."

There are a number of bills that aim to provide solutions to what some see as an afforable housing crisis. Sen. Pat Spearman, D-North Las Vegas, said her bill, Senate Bill 363, prioritizes housing for women veterans, women who were formerly incarcerated, those recovering from domestic violence - and senior women who are housing insecure.

"They are four times more likely to not have a place to stay than their peers," she said. "As a matter of fact, those four groups are the highest, the fastest-growing, homeless groups in the United States."

Spearman and other lawmakers are pushing for legislation to keep some of the state's lowest-income residents housed, while also aiming to prevent an eviction crisis as federal dollars distributed for rental assistance during the pandemic are set to expire.

A recent report examines Connecticut's eviction crisis and addresses some solutions to it. The report from Connecticut Voices for Children finds 39% of renters in the state who were not current on rent payments felt they would be evicted in the next two months. That rate was higher for Black and Latino renters, reaching 54% and 56% respectively. The report also finds high absenteeism rates correlate to some kids facing housing insecurity. But, the report takes a look at some short-term policy recommendations to help renters in the state.

Samaila Adelaiye, research and policy fellow with Connecticut Voices for Children, said one of the primary areas of focus was income support.

"When it comes to income and income equivalent supports, we make recommendations for making the Connecticut property tax credit fully refundable and available to renters. Because while renters indirectly pay property taxes, they do not have access to relief through Connecticut's property tax credit," Adelaiye said.

He added they support different pieces of legislation addressing tenant protections. Other recommendations in the report include increasing funding for rental assistance, making a state child tax credit permanent, and sustaining funding for the state's Right to Counsel program. This report is one of a two-part series; the second report will address more long-term solutions.

Although the report provides avenues for alleviating Connecticut's eviction crisis, there are additional questions it raises. Adelaiye noted most of these revolve around renters in the state having enough money for other necessities outside of rent. He said there are numerous issues coming out of the state's housing crisis.

"We know that evictions particularly are the product of the housing affordability crisis is causing more socio-economic harm, increasing financial strain leading in some cases to homelessness."

From here, Adelaiye said the high cost of housing must be addressed, with rent caps being one way to do that. Currently, Connecticut Senate Bill 4 would have included a rent cap, but that was eliminated while the bill was in committee. However, should the bill pass, it will allow for a series of tenant protections including a winter eviction moratorium, making it illegal to evict anyone from December through March.