The Pennsylvania Reentry Council (PARC)’s Housing Subcommittee held a successful virtual housing roundtable on October 14th. Among the Committee’s planners was RHLS’s Director of Economic Development, Laura Schwartz. In addition to her input on planning, Laura presented at the roundtable along with Deborah Gable from HDC MidAtlantic on Tenant Screening Practices and Racial Equity. Last year, Laura has worked with HDC MidAtlantic on their screening policy. HDC MidAtlantic is a real estate developer, provider, and advocate for affordable housing based in Lancaster, PA.
In addition to that panel, the governor spoke on the Importance of Housing, while 2 state senators who are sponsoring a Fair Chance Housing bill gave the policy perspective on their legislative strategy panel. There were speakers from the Vera Institute and the Fortune Society, two New York state organizations that do important work in the reentry world. Kyle Webster from ACTION-Housing reported on how they revamped their screening policy with respect to criminal records with no adverse effects.
RHLS is proud to support Laura’s leadership in this important advocacy work for returning citizens.