What makes a “Good Landlord?”. The answer to that question depends on whom are asking. According to an Ogden , Utah website, a “good landlord” is one who keeps his property neat , and does criminal background checks on prospective tenants, and refuses to rent to anyone convicted of a crime. Those who own rental properties are given a hefty 90% discount on their yearly business license fees by participating in the "Good Landlord " program.. Those who are released from prison and find a job in Ogden, are given added stress to an already stressful reentry process. Even if someone has been out of prison for a decade or more and is leading an exemplary life, he or she will still get turned down for housing by “Good Landlords” participants.
Texas, has a very different approach from Utah regarding housing for those who were formerly incarcerated. The Texas Temporary Housing Assistance Program aids those who are eligible for parole, but who cannot be released because they do not have a place to live. THAP gives vouchers to approximately 100 parolees who use the vouchers to rent a place to live. The program was implemented because it costs $47 a day to house someone in prison, and less to house someone outside the walls. Landlords are assured of getting paid, and they know that their tenant must have a criminal conviction to participate in THAP, so there is no discrimination against those with a criminal history.
Both the “Good Landlord” program and THAP have drawbacks, according to opponents of each program. THAP allows people with criminal histories to live together in tax-payer funded living quarters. This differs only from living in a halfway house because THAP participants can be unsupervised. Supporters of the program claim that all applicants to THAP are carefully screened, and are not under restrictions as to where they can live, much like most parolees who are not participants of THAP.
The Good Landlord program is criticized for not taking into account that those who have committed crimes can, and often do, turn their lives around. Two requirements for successful reentry are stable housing and employment. For those who might find employment in Ogden, living outside the city means transportation concerns, and the sad dichotomy that their labor is wanted, but their after-work presence is not. The “Welcome to Ogden” website claims “It’s all within reach,” unless, of course, you have a criminal history. Then, it’s all just beyond your grasp.
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