Guide
Housing after prison
Where to stay when you get out, what the rules really say about your record, and how to find a landlord who will say yes. A record makes housing harder. It does not make it impossible.
Your first place to stay
Family or friends
The fastest option for most people. Check your parole or probation rules first: some do not allow you to live with certain people or in certain places, and your officer may need to approve the address.
Reentry and transitional housing
Short-term housing built for people coming home, often with help finding work. Ask your case manager or reentry coordinator before release, because many programs have waiting lists.
Recovery housing
If you are in recovery, sober living homes give you a drug and alcohol free place to live with people working toward the same thing. Oxford House is one national network of them: each house is run by the people who live there and pays its own way, and you apply to the house directly.
Shelters
A last resort, but a real one. A bed tonight keeps you safe and keeps your address current while you work on something better.
Free help you can call today
Call 211
Free and open in most of the country. Tell them you just got out and need housing, and they will connect you with local shelters, reentry programs and rent help. You can also search at 211.org.
Free housing counselor800-569-4287
The government's housing counseling line connects you with a free, approved housing counselor near you who can help with renting, budgeting and applications.
Free legal help
Legal aid offices help with denials, evictions and clearing your record, at no cost if you qualify. Find one near you at LawHelp.org.
Public housing and Section 8
A lot of people believe any felony bans you from public housing and Section 8 vouchers. That is not true. Federal law requires a ban for only a few situations, and they apply to anyone in the household, not just the person applying:
- Someone who must register as a sex offender for life.
- Someone ever convicted of making meth in federally assisted housing.
- Someone currently using illegal drugs, or whose drug use or alcohol abuse the housing authority has good reason to believe puts other residents at risk.
- Someone evicted from federally assisted housing for drug activity in the last 3 years. The housing authority may lift this one after an approved treatment program, or when the situation no longer exists.
Everything else is up to your local housing authority. Each one writes its own rules for which records count, and most only look back a set number of years, so two cities can treat the same record very differently. That policy is public, so you can ask for it.
What to do:
- Ask the housing authority for its written screening policy before you apply.
- Apply anyway, and apply to more than one. Waiting lists are long, so get on them early.
- If they plan to turn you down because of your record, they have to show you the record and give you a chance to dispute it. If they still say no, ask for a review or hearing in writing, by the deadline on the letter, and bring proof of what has changed.
Private landlords and your record
Private rentals follow different rules than public housing. Unless a state or city law says otherwise, private landlords are mostly free to check your record, and many will say no to one. Some will not. A few states and cities, New Jersey among them, have fair chance housing laws that limit when and how a landlord can use your record. Search your city or state name plus “fair chance housing”, or ask a legal aid office what applies where you live.
Before you pay an application fee, ask the landlord or manager straight out how they handle records. A no costs you nothing. A fee for a guaranteed no costs you money you need.
Make your application stronger
- Bring proof of income: pay stubs, an offer letter, or benefits letters.
- Get two or three references who can speak to who you are today: an employer, a case manager, a pastor, a program leader.
- Write a short, honest letter about your record and what has changed. Keep it to one page.
- Bring certificates from any program, class or treatment you finished.
- Look for private landlords who own a few units. They can make their own call, where big companies often run a strict screen.
- Ask a legal aid office whether your record can be sealed or expunged. In many states, older or smaller offenses can be cleared.
Make a plan with the app
The Felon Entrepreneur app's Life Plan builds missions around your goals, a place to live included, and your coach works each step with you, including helping you write a letter to a landlord. Job search flags fair chance employers and job posts that welcome people with records, because steady pay is what gets a lease signed.
See what's inside the appThis guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and differ by state and city. For your situation, talk with a legal aid office or a housing counselor.