NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It's been nearly three years since the Housing Authority of New Orleans announced its intention to drop barriers keeping residents with criminal records out of public housing.
The New Orleans Advocate’s Jessica Williams reports HANO and its partners will vet applicants with checkered pasts.
Agency officials hope to present the rules to the HANO board of commissioners for consideration this month.
A panel will scrutinize applicants who have more egregious or recent convictions. It will consider those applicants' criminal history, record of drug or alcohol abuse treatment, community ties and employment history, among other factors, before granting or denying admission.
Those under review may appear before the panel or have an attorney plead their case, the policy states. They also have the right to appeal.
