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\u201cThis bill makes it that much harder to do that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Lee also pointed to the double standard in public housing. The New York City Housing Authority <\/a> currently conducts criminal background checks on applicants. NYCHA\u2019s website states that \u201cfor people with recent criminal histories, convictions may influence their eligibility to live in NYCHA.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe city has as standard for what should be enacted for their buildings, but what the City Council is saying to private owners is that it doesn’t apply to you\u2014that you assume all the liability,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThe question is why does the city not absorb the same level of liability?\u201d<\/p>\n Exceptions include inquiries into registered sex offenders; the bill does not apply to property owners residing in single-family or two-family properties.<\/p>\n Powers told Crain\u2019s<\/em> that he and his allies in the council aim to end housing discrimination based on criminal background considerations. He argued that current city law\u2014the Fair Chance Act\u2014makes it illegal for prospective employers to ask about an applicant\u2019s criminal justice history prior to extending a job offer.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve already banned this in employment and an equally stabilizing force is housing,\u201d Powers said. \u201cMany of the people we\u2019re talking about are in the process of rehabilitating themselves. We don\u2019t want to give you a life sentence when it comes to finding a good home in New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n Powers added that the primary motivation for the legislation is to find solutions to the city\u2019s housing <\/a> and homelessness crisis <\/a> .<\/p>\n His office argued there is \u201ca strong correlation\u201d between homelessness and having interacted with the criminal justice system. They cited a 2018 survey from the nonprofit Prison Policy Institute that found people who were formerly incarcerated are nearly 10 times more likely to be homeless than the general public.<\/p>\n