Geography: National

How to Assess the Landscape of Background Screening in your Community

Criminal background screenings are a significant barrier to accessing housing for people involved in the justice system. It is crucial to understand how these screening procedures operate in each community to address the unfair impact of criminal background screenings in housing applications.

A “Landscape Assessment” can help identify trends in screening procedures and areas for reducing barriers. CSH designed this Landscape Assessment tool to help you conduct a comprehensive analysis of criminal background screening procedures in your community that can reduce barriers to housing and lead to recovery and stability for people involved in the justice system.

This toolkit uplifts the 2021 New Jersey Fair Chance in Housing legislation to provide insight to advocates in other jurisdictions working to expand access to housing for people with prior justice system involvement.

New Jersey was the first state to pass statewide Fair Chance in Housing legislation, also known as “ban the box” in housing, that limits the ability of landlords to consider criminal legal background checks at the beginning of the rental application process. This campaign passed with bipartisan support during the summer of 2021. This toolkit includes the following insights from New Jersey leaders of the Fair Chance in Housing campaign:

• Establishing the Campaign
• Building the Coalition
• Navigating Challenges
• Examples Other Jurisdictions Can Reference
• Understanding What’s in the Bill
• Key Lessons Learned

This brief provides ten steps that child welfare and family support leaders and their communities can take to advance a family eviction prevention plan. This plan aligns with broader shifts in child welfare policy and practice to build community- based preventative supports that strengthen families and keep children safe.

These briefs report on the impact of evictions on families and present information on what child welfare and family support leaders and their communities can do now to prevent evictions for families and the importance of immediate and long-term cross-sector prevention strategies. In addition, the briefs include a list of ten steps to advance a family eviction prevention plan aligned with broader shifts in child welfare policy and practice and efforts to build community-based preventative supports that strengthen families and keep children safe.

The publications were made possible in collaboration with Casey Family Programs, whose mission is to provide, improve – and ultimately prevent the need for – foster care.

---

For additional information, download our brief on 10 things to do to prevent family evictions:

This paper published with the generous support from The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation shares critical information about the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) program and how it can boost ‘services’ in supportive housing. HCBS services help individuals live comfortably in their own homes, despite challenges commonly faced by people with disabilities and all of us as we age. HCBS will be an essential supplementary resource to help supportive housing tenants thrive in their community at all ages.

This data brief guides system providers on how to better coordinate data and services for families involved with systems, such as child welfare, homelessness response, behavioral health, education and justice.

A Resource for Housing and Homeless Programs Considering Options for Billing for Medicaid Eligible Services

This review of Medicaid models is designed to assist supportive housing providers and homeless service organizations consider strategies to enhance their services (and services funding) through partnerships or through securing new resources. Included are comprehensive overviews of three options: Becoming a Medicaid Billable Agency; Collaborating to Increase Services and Capacity; and Contracting with an Administrative Services Organization.

This material is based upon work supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) under Social Innovation Fund Grant No.16PSHNY002. Opinions or points of view expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of, or a position that is endorsed by, CNCS.