Crime-Free_Multi-Housing

Crime-Free Multi-Housing

Crime-Free Multi-Housing

Crime prevention program


The Crime-Free Multi-Housing (CFMH) program is a crime-free ordinance program, which partners property owners, residents, and law-enforcement personnel in an effort to eliminate crime, drugs, and gang activity from rental properties.[1]

History

The program began in Mesa, Arizona in the United States in 1992. Since then, it has spread to other US cities and several other countries.[1]

The International Crime Free Association reports potential benefits of the program, including tenant satisfaction and increased demand for rental units. Independent assessments of these claims are necessary for a comprehensive understanding.[1]

Additionally, there has been push back against crime free ordinances. In federal lawsuits across the country, tenants, landlords, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have challenged crime-free ordinances and their enforcement, citing violations of fair housing laws, equal protection, due process, and the First Amendment right to free association.[2][3][4][5]

Program

Three phases must be completed under police supervision:

  • an eight-hour seminar presented by the local police department
  • certification that the rental property has met the security requirements for the tenants' safety
  • a tenant crime-prevention meeting is held[6]

Participating landlords have the option to display their certification status on their property.[6]

See also


Notes

  1. "Nuisance and Crime-Free Ordinances Initiative". NHLP.org. The National Housing Law Project. Retrieved 24 March 2024. Nuisance and crime-free laws, with related programs and policies, impose unreasonable choices on survivors of domestic and sexual violence – making them have to choose between calling for emergency assistance or losing their home. Such ordinances also negatively impact communities of color and persons experiencing disabilities.
  2. "I Am Not a Nuisance: Local Ordinances Punish Victims of Crime" (document). American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved 24 March 2024.

References


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