To Devone Nash, people make mistakes, but that doesn’t mean those mistakes should be held against them forever.

"Just think of the worst thing you've ever done, and suppose someone held that against you for the rest of your life," he told us on Tuesday morning. 

What You Need To Know

  • The City Council has two meetings left this year

  • Advocates and some officials hope a bill to ban most criminal background checks for housing applications could move

  • Some landlord groups oppose the measure
  • Mayor Bill de Blasio supports the bill

Nash has been living in the city's shelter system with his nephew since January 2018. He described his current situation as “hell.” Nash left prison a few years before he entered shelter, one of several stints he has had behind bars for robbery.

"The criminal element is the major factor because their requirement is employment,” he explained while walking outside of his shelter in Long Island City. “The reasons I can't find employment is because I am being ostracized based on my past criminal history. I can't find an apartment based on my past criminal history and employment."

His search for an apartment has been arduous. He’s been rejected dozens of times.

Now the City Council may weigh in. The council may consider legislation before the end of its session this year to make it illegal for landlords or real estate agents to consider someone's criminal history when renting an apartment. There could be a handful of exceptions, like if someone is on the sex offender registry.

"It would mean that if somebody like the many, many thousands of New Yorkers that have a history with criminal justice involvement, it means they would have access to apartments,” said Councilman Stephen Levin of Brooklyn, the main sponsor of the bill.

The bill's sponsor, advocates and Nash rallied outside of City Hall Tuesday to push the City Council speaker to bring the bill to the floor. The council speaker's office would not comment on the fate of the legislation. But we know the mayor supports the bill.

Not surprisingly, some landlords do not.

In a statement to NY1, Joseph Strasburg, the president of the Rent Stabilization Association, said: “We oppose a blanket prohibition on not being able to vet potential tenants… it would be unfortunate if the city council ignored the rights of the existing tenants to their detriment by compelling owners to accept convicted felons of serious crimes.”

Nash, of course, disagrees.

"At one point do you say, ‘Ok, you get to do it over again, we're going to give you another shot,’” Nash said.