Searching for felon friendly apartments in Des Moines? Explore apartment communities, houses, and other housing options. “Felon friendly” is a search term, not a verified designation. Confirm each property's screening rules; approval is never guaranteed.
3700 East 31st Street
3717 6th Avenue
3400 8th Street
1101 Crocker Street
2417 Southwest 9th Street
Screening practices and applicable requirements can vary by property and location. Ask each housing provider about its current criteria and verify reported policy details directly. For questions about your rights, consider consulting a qualified local housing or legal resource. Approval is never guaranteed.
The Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency (DMMHA) lists five public-housing apartment buildings and separate scattered-site family homes. None of these directory records confirms an open unit or felony acceptance.
The five named buildings in DMMHA's directory have 390 apartments in their stated counts: four age-62-and-older communities and Royal View Manor, which lists age 18+ to apply. DMMHA's public-housing program page separately identifies 34 single-family homes scattered across the city. The directory does not publish their individual residential addresses.
DMMHA's https://www.dsm.city/departments/housing/public_housing/index.php says it considers arrest history, rental history and prior participation in federally subsidized programs, and says applicants with any drug-related charge in the past five years will be denied. This is a program-level public-housing statement, not a verified decision for any specific applicant or a rule for unrelated private rentals. No blanket felony acceptance is established. Request current written criteria from DMMHA before applying.
DMMHA's https://www.dsm.city/departments/housing/index.php notice, reviewed September 28, 2026, says its public-housing waitlist is closed for two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom units; applications are accepted only for households of two people or fewer. It separately says the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waitlist is closed. A household-size intake notice is not a guarantee of a one-bedroom vacancy or a site-specific open list. The https://www.dsm.city/departments/housing/public_housing/index.php links a printable https://www.dsm.city/Documents/Departments/Housing/Public%20Housing/PH-PreAppPacket_01-29-26.pdf?t=202603251131520 public-housing pre-application and says it can be picked up at the agency's administrative office, 1200 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309. Call (515) 323-8950 to check current intake, submission instructions and waiting-list position. That office is not an apartment address.
DMMHA official https://www.dsm.city/departments/housing/public_housing/directory.php: East View Manor (50 units), Highland Park Plaza (50), Oak Park Plaza (40), Royal View Manor (200), and South View Manor (50), for 390 stated apartment units. East View, Highland Park, Oak Park and South View require age 62+ to apply; Royal View lists age 18+. These are income-based public-housing rentals, not guaranteed openings. The five pages link to the https://www.dsm.city/departments/housing/public_housing/index.php. All five show the agency contact (515) 323-8950. Scattered-site family homes: the https://www.dsm.city/departments/housing/public_housing/index.php identifies 34 DMMHA-owned and managed single-family homes. The https://www.dsm.city/departments/housing/public_housing/directory.php says several two-, three- and four-bedroom scattered sites are located across the city and their residents pay their own utilities and handle lawn care and snow removal, unlike the listed buildings. No individual residence address, property-level vacancy or application list was supplied; these homes are a program lead, not 34 apartment listings. The https://www.dsm.city/departments/housing/index.php public-housing notice says current intake is limited to households of two or fewer and lists two- through five-bedroom waitlists as closed. Call DMMHA about any change before seeking a scattered-site home. Eligibility and contact: https://www.dsm.city/departments/housing/public_housing/index.php states at least one household member must be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen, applicants must be 18+ generally, HUD income guidelines apply (page mentions 80% of median family income), and a drug-related charge within the past five years results in denial under its posted policy. The 62+ site rules still apply at the four elderly communities. Participants generally pay about 30% of adjusted monthly income after acceptance. DMMHA office: 1200 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309; (515) 323-8950. Reviewed September 28, 2026; ask DMMHA for current eligibility and waitlist details.
Reported screening policies come from properties, management companies, and renter-submitted experiences, and each record shows when it was last verified. Policies can change at any time—always confirm directly with the property.
Screening practices and applicable requirements can vary by property and location. Ask the property about its current written criteria before applying, and consult a qualified local housing or legal resource if you have questions about your rights. Approval is never guaranteed.
Screening practices vary. Ask each housing provider directly whether it conducts background checks and what criteria it uses. Listings on this page show reported screening information and are labeled with their verification status; reported details should be confirmed with the property.
Consider asking the property about its screening process and application requirements before paying any fees or submitting an application. Requirements differ, so confirm details directly with the housing provider.
Where available, each record shows its verification status and the date it was last verified. Information may be reported or unverified and policies can change, so confirm details directly with the property before applying. If you spot outdated information, please let us know.
Review the property's stated application criteria and prepare the documents it requests. You can also ask whether it accepts references or other supporting information. Each property makes its own decisions, and approval is never guaranteed.
Tell us where you want to live and we will review your request and point you toward relevant housing resources. This is not a rental application, and approval is never guaranteed.
This page is informational only and is not a rental application. Reported policies can change at any time and approval is never guaranteed. Contact the property directly to verify. Last updated October 7, 2026.