Plan lets applicants demonstrate rehabilitation before rental decision
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Oct. 12, 2026
Contact: Kate McCrackenPhone: 517.225.3186Email: kate@safeandjustmi.org
LANSING — Safe and affordable housing will become easier to find for Lansing residents with a criminal record if the city council passes a proposed Fair Housing ordinance, according to supporters. The proposal would direct landlords and renting agents to share any concerns or findings from a background report before making a final decision. Applicants would then have the opportunity to address inaccuracies and to demonstrate that they have turned their lives around. Providers would retain decision-making authority while following the required assessment process, subject to specified exceptions. The proposal will be introduced at the Lansing City Council meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, on the 10th floor of Lansing City Hall, 124 W. Michigan Ave.
“Even for people with no criminal record, finding a safe, affordable place to call home can feel like an insurmountable challenge,” said At-Large City Council Member Tamera Carter. “For those with a criminal record, that challenge is even greater. Everyone deserves a fair opportunity to demonstrate who they are today and to show that they can be valued tenants in our community.”
Fair Housing laws encourage landlords to consider a whole person for an available lease — not just a mistake they made in the past. The proposal doesn’t prevent landlords from conducting background checks — it just requires the findings to be shared, and gives applicants a chance to show they have changed through activities such as counseling, rehabilitation and community participation. The proposal is similar to existing city laws in places like Detroit, Ann Arbor and Flint.
“Simply having an item like a decades-old DUI on a record doesn’t make someone a bad neighbor today. This ordinance just makes sure landlords get a more complete view of a person before making their final decision,” said city council Vice President Trini Pehlivanoglu, who supports this ordinance. “This is a step in the right direction for Lansing residents to have a fair chance at housing.”
Housing is crucially important for people with a criminal record. Having an address is necessary for filling out a job application, for example. Having a home fosters stability and makes it possible for people to rebuild their lives after incarceration. Furthermore, excluding people with a record doesn’t only harm those individuals. Formerly incarcerated people are often also parents caring for children, or adults caring for aging parents. The loss of housing opportunities harms these family members, too.
“Communities across Michigan, from large metropolitan places like Detroit to smaller cities like Jackson, have already realized that removing barriers to housing helps families, fosters stability and strengthens communities,” said Tony Gant, director of policy for Lansing-based Safe & Just Michigan, which supports the ordinance. “Cities only thrive when their residents do. Fair Chance Housing helps Lansing become a city more people can call home.”
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Safe & Just Michigan (www.safeandjustmi.org) advocates for evidence-based policies that reduce the harms of the criminal legal system and promote justice, community safety and healing. We partner with Michigan organizations and leaders from across the political spectrum, including business and community leaders, faith communities, crime survivor organizations, formerly and currently incarcerated people and their families, as well as Michigan taxpayers statewide.
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