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Finding Housing with a Criminal Background: Take the Survey

The Fair Housing Center is currently seeking input from Cuyahoga County housing providers, as well as residents with criminal backgrounds, in an effort to gain better insight into the barriers that formerly incarcerated people face when looking for a place to live.

Cuyahoga County Housing Provider Survey

The Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research is conducting a survey in Cuyahoga County to better understand housing providers’ considerations and decision-making with respect to criminal records screening. The survey is completely voluntary. All responses are anonymous and will not be attributed any individual respondent. The data from these surveys will be compiled for a public report and used to inform efforts to develop resources to support housing providers and tenants. Participants can choose to be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate to Giant Eagle.

Finding Housing with Criminal Background Survey

The Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research is conducting a study in Cuyahoga County to better understand the choices people make about housing. The survey is completely voluntary and will take 10 minutes to complete. This survey is intended to gather the opinions and experiences of people with prior criminal convictions living in Cuyahoga County. The data from these surveys will be compiled for a public report examining barriers to housing and housing discrimination relating to criminal records. Please follow the link at the end of the survey to be entered into a drawing to win 1 of 5 $25 gift certificates to Giant Eagle. The drawing will be held on January 20, 2025.

In the News:

• ‘Near impossible’: Survey seeks input from formerly incarcerated people struggling to find housing and from landlords (Signal Cleveland)

• Fair Housing surveying Cuyahoga County residents, landlords about renting with criminal histories (Cleveland.com)

Upcoming Events

On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, please join us for an Open House at The Fair Housing Center! From 5-7pm, you are invited to tour our office space, enjoy food with friends, mingle with Fair Housing Center staff and board members, learn more about the work that we do, and find out how you can get involved. All are welcome!

RSVP Now!

ICYMI: Read our 2023 Annual Report

In case you missed it, The Fair Housing Center's 2023 Annual Report is out now! Both locally and nationally, we saw reports of housing discrimination hit an all-time high in 2023. According to the National Fair Housing Alliance, agencies throughout the country received a total of 34,150 fair housing complaints last year. Our agency continued to see an upward trend in discrimination complaints and calls for assistance, as well. As the work continues, our dedicated staff remains committed to meeting the needs of the community. Read the full report to catch up on all that we accomplished in 2023.

ICYMI: News You Should Know About

• How to fight against Section 8 discrimination in Cleveland Heights

• Cleveland Housing Investment Fund launches with initial $38 million commitment to support equitable, affordable housing | City of Cleveland Ohio

• U.S. explores giving renters cash instead of housing vouchers : NPR

• 1,500 kids in Cleveland are being poisoned a year, some in 'lead safe' homes

• Planning Fair: How Fair Housing Intersects with Planning | Planetizen Features

• Cleveland proposes $1M tenant advocacy program | Multifamily Dive

• AI landlord screening tool will stop scoring low-income tenants after discrimination suit - The Verge

• 30-Year Freeze: Lack Of Progress On Racial Wealth Gap Since 1990s Signals Need To Try New Tactics » NCRC

• Banks denied repair loans to Black Greater Cleveland homeowners

Thank you to our donors!

Your support makes this work possible. We would like to recognize and thank our top donors of the past quarter for their generous support of fair housing work:

• Diane Citrino
• Samantha Dawson
• Kyle Fee
• Laura Fogarty
• Frank Ford
• Dr. Franceska Jones
• Susan Katz
• Allison Kretz
• Shanelle Mason
• Mike McGraw
• CARLETON MOORE!
• Charlotte Nichols
• Carrie Pleasants
• Priscilla Pointer-Hicks
• Peter Saudek
• Michael Sering
• Tanmay Shah
• Cory Thomas

Are you a supporter of fair housing who is interested in taking the next step and becoming a donor? Visit www.thehousingcenter.org/give to learn how you can support fair housing!

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About Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research

The Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research (The Fair Housing Center) is a nonprofit fair housing organization whose mission is to protect and expand fair housing rights, eliminate housing discrimination, and promote integrated communities. The Fair Housing Center has been in existence for 35 years, beginning as the Metropolitan Strategy Group in 1983.

The federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibits discrimination in the sale or rental of a dwelling on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability. The purpose of the law is to eliminate housing discrimination and promote residential integration.

For more information visit www.thehousingcenter.org.