From City Limits:
William Gonzalez, 63, got a second chance. After being convicted of attempted murder in 1987, he spent nearly 30 years in various state prisons before he was released on parole in March of this year. Unlike many former inmates, he knew he could turn to his family for a place to stay.
The NYCHA Family Reentry Pilot Program, implemented by the city in 2014, allowed Gonzalez to return to his mother’s apartment in the Vladeck Houses on the Lower East Side, where he grew up. NYCHA policy typically excludes families whose members have been convicted of crimes for periods ranging from three to six years. But the pilot program is not only an opportunity for former inmates to get back on their feet, it is also a break from the typical exclusionary policies of public housing.
Not everyone who has been incarcerated can participate. People who are on the sex offender registry and those convicted of producing methamphetamines in public housing are not eligible. People with substance abuse issues or who have been evicted from public housing for drug-related offenses cannot apply for the program unless they demonstrate they are undergoing rehabilitation. Otherwise, anyone who is over the age of 16 and has been released from a correctional facility in the past three years is eligible to return to most NYCHA developments, but not Section 8 housing. Continue reading >>>
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