Summary: The Housing Authority of the City of Asheville (HACA) is accepting comments through 11:59 p.m. tonight (August 24, 2026) on proposed criminal-background screening procedures. The proposal offers applicants stronger procedural protections but would also extend the lookback period for many convictions from five years to seven years, 10 years, or life. We have heard that part of the motivation is concern from residents who survived rape, molestation, or stalking that their assailants could be approved to move into their housing communities. Those safety concerns deserve substantial weight. But the longer periods would also apply to property and drug crimes – including felony drug possession – and HACA has not publicly explained the basis for each change.

The Facts: The proposal would:

• Apply lifetime lookbacks to intentional homicide, kidnapping or human trafficking, and forcible sex or rape convictions
• Apply 10-year lookbacks to felony stalking and many other felonies, including assault, robbery, burglary, drug possession, and drug distribution
• Apply seven year lookbacks to misdemeanor domestic-violence convictions
• Allow consideration of violent patterns outside the stated periods
• Exclude arrests without charges and generally require additional evidence before considering dismissed charges
• Provide an individualized review meeting, consideration of rehabilitation, and up to 30 days to gather supporting evidence

You can read the full proposed policy revision here. The 48-day public-comment period began July 8 and ends at 11:59 p.m. tonight. Comments may be sent to comments@haca.org.

Our Assessment: HACA is right to consider the safety of residents who fear that people convicted of serious violence against them could return to their housing communities. The proposal responds directly to some of those concerns by establishing longer (or lifetime) lookbacks for rape, stalking, homicide, and other violent offenses. (A lookback period is the length of time a past conviction remains relevant when HACA reviews someone’s housing application.)

But the proposal also extends scrutiny to offenses that do not necessarily involve violence or a threat to another resident. For example, felony drug possession and two or more felony theft or fraud convictions would carry 10-year lookbacks. Drug-related crime convictions in particular have a well-documented racial bias. HACA has not explained how these longer exclusions address the resident-safety concern motivating the proposal, how many applicants they would affect, or whether a shorter period or more individualized approach would be sufficient.

The proposal may ultimately strike an appropriate balance between safety, rehabilitation, and access to housing. Before adopting it, HACA should explain why longer lookbacks are necessary for nonviolent convictions and how it will avoid excluding people who no longer present a risk to residents.

Things to do: Email HACA before 11:59 p.m. tonight – and copy Mayor Esther Manheimer (who appoints all HACA Board members) and Vice Mayor Antanette Mosley (who is the City Council liaison to HACA) – asking HACA to explain why the proposal extends lookback periods for nonviolent convictions and how those extensions advance resident safety

Email Template: You can send an email to the Housing Authority for the City of Asheville by filling out the form below. Our email tool will send an individually addressed email to the recipients, and enable us to track how many emails were sent overall in the campaign. If you prefer to write your own email, you can copy and paste (and adapt) our template text – please cc: or bcc: info@gapavl.org on your individualized email, so we can better track how many emails were sent. 

Important: If you receive a response to your email, please forward it to us at info@gapavl.org so we can reflect that in the report back.

To: comments@haca.org

CC: manheimer@avlcouncil.com, antanettemosley@avlcouncil.com

Subject: Questions regarding HACA’s proposed criminal-background screening policy

Housing Authority of the City of Asheville:

I am submitting this comment regarding HACA’s proposed Criminal Background Screening Grid and Procedures.

I understand that residents who have survived rape, stalking, and other serious violence have legitimate concerns about their assailants being approved to move into their housing communities. HACA is right to consider their safety, and the proposal contains important protections addressing violent offenses.

However, the proposal also applies longer lookback periods to conduct that does not necessarily involve violence. For example, felony drug possession and two or more felony theft or fraud convictions would carry 10-year lookbacks.

Before adopting the policy, please explain why these longer periods are necessary for nonviolent convictions, how they advance resident safety, and whether HACA considered shorter periods or a more individualized approach for applicants who no longer present a risk to potential fellow residents.

I am raising this question rather than taking a final position, in the hopes that the proposal ultimately strikes a balance between safety, rehabilitation, and access to housing.. Please include this email in the official public-comment record and publish HACA’s response before the Board takes final action.

Thank you.

[Name]

[Neighborhood]