Harris County program aims to help seal criminal records, housing rights
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Saturday, November 11 will be the eighth Fresh Start Program and the last one for 2023. It's all about giving folks a second chance, and it's the brainchild of some Harris County Judges.
"We believe our role is bigger than just sitting on the bench every day," said Harris County Criminal Court at Law #9 Judge Toria Finch. "We believe it means getting out into the community rolling up our sleeves and getting active and working as members of our community to make it stronger."
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One of the most popular offerings of the Fresh Start Program is sealing criminal records for misdemeanors when defendants successfully complete their probation.
"Many people thought if I completed the program, and I don't have a conviction, then it can't possibly be on my record," Finch said.
These public records can deter people from getting jobs or getting credit. The Fresh Start Program can help get criminal records sealed for free.
"With this program, you are connecting with experts who do it every day, that can actually move through the system much faster, and get the results you're looking for," said Finch.
"After COVID, when the moratorium got lifted, all of a sudden the flood gates opened, and we just had such a high increase in the number of evictions here in Harris County," said Judge Jim F. Kovach Civil Court at Law #2.
For the first time, the Fresh Start program will include a know your rights housing workshop.
"What we're trying to do is tell tenants and landlords about what their rights are to help them facilitate settlement before things get more dire," Kovach said.
The workshop can help renters and landlords avoid evictions.
"That eviction judgment, number one, is going to complicate your ability to get an apartment. That's why it's important to talk before their trial date when it's too late," said Kovach. "And if they have an eviction on their credit report, every single thing they go to put on credit is going to cost them more."
For more information about the program, click here.