New Orleans Public Housing Opens Its Doors to People With Criminal Records

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.

1 minute read

March 31, 2016, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


New Orleans Doors

Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock

"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."

Tuesday, March 29, 2016 in The Times-Picayune

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight