Assisted Living units
Who can assist convicted felons with apartment leasing in Texas?

I am a 30-something year old woman with a college education who was convicted of a felony drug charge four years ago. I have never been violent and have never posed a danger to other people around me. It is almost impossible to find a large corporate-run apartment complex to lease a unit to me. Are there any companies/agencies who can allow leasing to felons, and if so under what circumstances? Are these companies leagally obligated to deny me? Who makes the rules? Is there a state-level forum in which I can take issue with this? What about locally? All I want is a place to live!

If you are having problems finding a place to live, and you are off “paper,” maybe you should see about either applying for your “rights” again, or getting your offense expunged from your record.

Applying for ones rights simply means that you would ask for like a pardon from the governor or something which would no longer require you to disclose information about your felony conviction on job or housing applications.

Getting your offense expunged if you are denied for a pardon is another avenue, which can be done by contacting a reuptable criminal defense attorney. The offense will be sealed in the eyes of the court which would mean that you wouldn’t have to disclose your offense to anyone (employers, housing providers, etc.) either, except for maybe law enforcement, because I believe they would still be able to pull up that information if they should find occasion to run an NCIC on you.

Otherwise, you may be hard pressed in some areas where you live to find private landlords who do not have corporate affiliations. People who simply want to rent out their loft apartments, or duplexes sometimes won’t run background checks on their residents as long as they have satisfactory references and rental history. Maybe this is something you could look into as well.

Cheers. Hope this information provides you with some viable alternatives.

Independent Living Model Units on the Big Island, Hawaii

Building on experience
It’s not at the point of critical mass, but a senior housing trend is evident in Fort Wayne.
The personal assistance provided at Assisted Living Facilities ensure that the dignity and self-respect of the occupants are upheld and that they get ample opportunities to socialize, make friends, and also keep in touch with their family. The assistance can be either routine or intensive. The personal assistants are trained to be mindful of the requirements and values of senior citizen.