After decades of imprisoning people with punitive mandatory minimum sentences, lawmakers and criminal-legal system reform advocates began making progress in decarcerating people nationwide. Recognizing the central role housing plays in successful reentry, in April 2024 the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), "Reducing Barriers to HUD Assisted Housing," proposing several meaningful changes to HUD's screening regulations for people with conviction histories applying to HUD-assisted housing.