Marquis Howard still remembers staring down that tiny box on a rental application—the one that asks about past convictions. For him, it wasn’t just a checkbox. It was a pressure point.

Even after doing everything “right”—going back to school, stacking degrees, landing a solid job—Howard felt like his future could be derailed by a mistake from decades ago.

“I was so stressed,” said Howard, now a senior organizer with Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD). “It feels like a black cloud that looms over you—that can take over at any time.”

That cloud lifted, at least in part, on May 26, when Wes Moore signed the Fair Chance Housing Act into law. And for thousands across Maryland, that moment wasn’t just policy—it was personal.

A Long-Overdue Shift

The Fair Chance Housing Act puts real limits on how landlords can use criminal background checks. Translation: fewer automatic denials, more actual chances.

Howard says the impact is massive. “Over a million people will be affected,” he explained. BUILD didn’t just cheer from the sidelines—they helped drive the momentum, organizing rallies, mobilizing residents, and pushing lawmakers to act.

“This is monumental,” Howard said—and for once, that doesn’t feel like an overstatement.

With this move, Maryland joins New Jersey at the front of the pack, setting the strongest statewide protections against housing discrimination for people with conviction histories. And across the country, similar legislation is picking up steam. States like Michigan are considering their own versions, signaling a broader shift in how we think about second chances—and public safety.

Why Housing Hits Different

Let’s be clear: housing isn’t just about having a roof over your head. It’s the foundation everything else stands on.

When people come home from prison or jail, stable housing can mean the difference between rebuilding and relapsing into survival mode. It opens doors to jobs, reconnects families, and reduces the likelihood of reoffending. No housing? Everything else gets harder.

And yet, every year, roughly 450,000 people reenter society from prisons across the U.S.—only to hit a wall when it comes to finding a place to live. Formerly incarcerated people are nearly 10 times more likely to experience homelessness than the general public.

Howard recalls one story that stuck with him: a woman trapped in an abusive relationship because she couldn’t secure housing due to her record.

“She had nowhere to go,” he said. “Everywhere she applied, she got denied.”

That’s not just a housing issue. That’s a safety issue.

What the Law Actually Does

Starting October 1, 2026, the rules change.

Landlords can no longer lead with a background check. Instead, they must first make a conditional offer of housing. Only then can they review a person’s record—and even that review is limited to certain types of convictions within specific timeframes.

More importantly, applicants get a chance to tell their story.

The law requires individualized assessments, meaning people can present evidence of growth, rehabilitation, and the life they’ve built since their conviction. It shifts the process from automatic rejection to actual consideration.

This win didn’t happen in a vacuum. It was backed by a coalition that includes the Public Justice Center, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Maryland Legal Aid, Vera Institute for Justice, and grassroots groups like Life After Release and Out for Justice.

Bigger Than One State

Since 2017, the Vera Institute for Justice has worked with housing authorities across 12 states to rethink admissions policies and reconnect families separated by incarceration.

This new law pushes that work into the broader rental market—where most people actually search for housing.

John Bae, who directs Vera’s Opening Doors to Housing initiative, put it plainly: people shouldn’t face a lifetime of barriers over past convictions—especially when it comes to something as basic as a place to live.

The Bottom Line

For too long, a single checkbox has carried outsized power—silently deciding who gets access to stability and who doesn’t.

Maryland just hit reset on that dynamic.

Because at the end of the day, second chances only work if people have somewhere to land. And with this law, more people finally will.