Mayor Ed Murray Signs Fair Chance Housing Bill in Seattle
Victory! The Seattle City Council unanimously passed the Fair Chance Housing ordinance. This new law will not allow landlords to screen applicants based on past arrests or criminal convictions. It also prohibits advertisements from banning people with criminal histories, so ads may no longer include words like “No felons” or “No convictions. ”
The bill was signed by Mayor Ed Murray at Pioneer's Mark Cooper House on August 23, 2017 and includes the following:
- Two-year look back period that was in the original legislation was eliminated
- Ordinance does not apply to people registered as sex offenders who committed their crime as an adult
- Records for offenses committed as a juvenile will not be allowed to be considered – but it does require landlords to have a justifiable reason if they deny someone who
is registered
- Records for offenses committed as a juvenile will not be allowed to be considered – but it does require landlords to have a justifiable reason if they deny someone who
- The law will take effect in the City of Seattle in approximately six months
Pioneer was proud to be involved in crafting the legislation and participating on panels, and in meetings to help define the details of the bill. We also had clients testify on their personal experience and struggles with homelessness. This is a big step in eliminating discrimination against people with criminal histories!
