The stiffest barriers faced by ex-offenders in their struggle to reintegrate into society are those which keep them from securing employment. Bias and stigma, lack of job skills and employment history, legal restrictions, and competition from other sources of labor contribute to the difficulty ex-offenders face in finding work. Advocates should consider both legal and practical strategies to mitigate the adverse consequences of their clients conviction histories and increase their prospect of complete reintegration. Advocates can use state statutes, case law prohibiting discrimination based on source of income, and the federal Fair Housing Act to protect Section 8 recipients. In Minnesota, through public education, legislative activity, and litigation, advocates applied a multifaceted approach to combat discrimination against recipients of housing subsidies.
Many landlords use minimum-income requirements to decide which tenants to accept.
However, income policies are not valid predictors of whether a tenant can pay the rent and are often simply a way to exclude low-income families. Advocates have used state civil rights laws and the federal Fair Housing Act to combat landlords minimum-income requirements.