New Jersey’s Fair Chance in Housing Law has the potential to be a model for the country, but only if it is proactively enforced. 

 

This law is supposed to bar housing providers from asking about criminal history on housing applications, in most instances. After the law’s signing in the summer of 2022, faith and non-profit leaders with New Jersey Together continued to hear stories from returning citizens who have been denied housing due to their justice system involvement. This directly and negatively impacted these individuals’ lives. It had an impact on their ability to reintegrate successfully into their communities and families. It impacted their ability to find and maintain meaningful employment.

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On January 26, 2022, NJ Together held a conference to discuss proactive enforcement and share stories from people who are directly affected as well as from landlords about why this was critical.