Dear Mayor and Council Members,
The Austin Housing Coalition is a coalition of nonprofit entities and other interested organizations, businesses, and residents who support the development of safe affordable housing for Austin residents.
Today, the Executive Committee of the Austin Housing Coalition voted to support the Fair Chance Housing Resolution, Item 94 on Austin City Council’s June 11th agenda. Because the Executive Committee believes access to housing is just as important as the availability of housing, we support this Council directive to the City Manager to bring forth recommendations related to rental policies that consider an individual’s criminal background in a manner that will result in more fair housing choices for residents and residents returning to the community.
We also want to express our appreciation to Council Member Harper-Madison and her staff for working with members of our Executive Committee and other stakeholders during the drafting of this resolution. We look forward to remaining engaged in the process and working with necessary City staff and Council Member offices as the draft ordinance is developed and considered.