Though several other US cities – including Detroit; San Francisco, Los Angeles, Berkeley and Oakland, California; and the states of Oregon and New Jersey – have enacted “fair chance for housing” laws, New York City, perhaps the most competitive arena for renters in the nation, never has. These laws – which prohibit treating rental applicants or tenants differently based on this history – could smooth some of the obstacles keeping New Yorkers out of housing and contributing to homelessness, and they could stem recidivism.