The Housing Authority of New Orleans has approved a new policy on criminal background checks that will remove the ban on residents with criminal records.
"The Housing Authority of New Orleans passed a sweeping new policy Tuesday (March 29) that eliminates a ban on providing housing assistance to people with criminal records," according to Richard A. Webster. "The revised background check procedure, instead, creates a process in which each person's case will be reviewed on an individual basis."
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will have final approval—a prospect made more likely when HUD Secretary Julián Castro voiced approval for the policy change on Twitter.
Websiter's coverage of the news includes more details about how the reviews will work in the future, and how the policy will offer people with criminal records better chances at receiving housing assistance. The new policy would come with limitagtions. According to Webster, "[t]he new policy does not override federal law, which forbids housing authorities to assist people listed on the lifetime sex offender registry or convicted of producing methamphetamines on public housing property."
FULL STORY: HANO approves new criminal background check policy
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.