Finding housing after a conviction can be difficult. You still have options.
Apartments for Felons

Felon Friendly Apartments in Lawrence, MA

Searching for felon friendly apartments in Lawrence? 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.

Screening records in Lawrence

65 Union Street

65 Union Street

Contact property to verifyUnverified

Beacon Courts

71 Duckett Avenue

Contact property to verifyUnverified

Brunswick House

198 Essex Street

Contact property to verifyUnverified

Elm Towers

353 Elm Street

Contact property to verifyUnverified

Hancock Courts

45 Hancock Street

Contact property to verifyUnverified

Merrimack Courts

56 Melvin Street

Contact property to verifyUnverified

Stadium Courts

171 Osgood Street

Contact property to verifyUnverified

Can someone with a felony record rent in Lawrence?

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.

Lawrence Housing Authority (LHA) lists family, elderly/disabled, and scattered-site public housing. This guide preserves all eight named directory headings and their official source details, without treating a listed address as every unit’s address or a program waitlist as a property-specific opening.

Local housing information for Lawrence

Local rental overview

LHA official Our Properties directory (https://lawrencehousing.org/properties/), reviewed 2026-09-28; source page metadata was last modified in 2021, so confirm details directly. Its seven individually named development/site blocks are below. Counts are source-reported total inventory, not available units; bedroom layouts do not imply vacancies. Source-published office hours for these property blocks are Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; confirm before visiting. Beacon Courts — 71 Duckett Avenue, Lawrence, MA. Built in 1953: 52 townhouse-style buildings with separate entrances; 208 federal family units with 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom layouts. LHA lists property-manager phone 978-688-5148. Source: https://lawrencehousing.org/properties/ Hancock Courts — 45 Hancock Street, Lawrence, MA. Built in 1953: 35 brick townhouse-style buildings with separate entrances; 195 state-funded family units with 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom layouts. LHA lists property-manager phone 978-689-4537. Source: https://lawrencehousing.org/properties/ Merrimack Courts — 56 Melvin Street, Lawrence, MA. Built in 1940: 14 brick buildings with shared entrances; 292 federally funded family units with 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom layouts. LHA lists property-manager phone 978-975-1489. Source: https://lawrencehousing.org/properties/ Stadium Courts — 171 Osgood Street, Lawrence, MA. Built in 1950: 14 brick walk-up/multifamily buildings with shared entrances; 256 state-funded family units with 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom layouts. LHA lists property-manager phone 978-794-0154. Source: https://lawrencehousing.org/properties/ Brunswick House — 198 Essex Street, Lawrence, MA. Built in 1982: 71 state-funded one-bedroom units for elderly and disabled residents. Manager’s office is listed separately at 65 Union Street. LHA lists 978-689-0281 (listed emergency number); this is not an applications number. Source: https://lawrencehousing.org/properties/ Elm Towers — 353 Elm Street, Lawrence, MA. Built in 1972: eight-floor brick building with elevator and 101 units for elderly/disabled households. Manager’s office is 65 Union Street. LHA lists 978-689-0281 (listed emergency number); this is not an applications number. Source: https://lawrencehousing.org/properties/ 65 Union Street — 65 Union Street, Lawrence, MA. Built in 1965: five-story brick building with elevator and 76 elderly/disabled units. LHA explicitly says its Central Office and manager’s office are also at this same address; do not treat office space as a separate rental property. LHA lists 978-689-0281 (listed emergency number); this is not an applications number. Source: https://lawrencehousing.org/properties/

Criminal screening overview

LHA’s state-aided public-housing page (https://lawrencehousing.org/state-aided-public-housing/) and federal eligibility page (https://lawrencehousing.org/federal-public-housing/program-eligibility/) say that it conducts criminal background/CORI checks and that, unless law provides otherwise, a criminal record does not automatically disqualify an applicant. Decisions follow LHA policy and applicable law; this is NOT a promise of approval for any offense, household, or property. Ask LHA for current written screening rules and the applicable program’s requirements before applying.

Application tips

Waitlist information on LHA’s own pages conflicts as reviewed on 2026-09-28: https://lawrencehousing.org/ says federal family public-housing pre-applications for 1–4 bedrooms are accepted until further notice; https://lawrencehousing.org/federal-public-housing/ says both that only certain elderly/disabled efficiency or 2-bedroom applications are being accepted and that the federal family waitlist is open; https://lawrencehousing.org/about/ instead says the federal family list is closed. Do not assume a current opening for any named development. Confirm program and household category with LHA before relying on an application route. LHA’s home notice points to federal pre-applications at https://www.pha-web.com/portals/onlineApplication/2024. For state-aided housing, LHA directs applicants to CHAMP: https://publichousingapplication.ocd.state.ma.us/. Waitlist placement and screening do not guarantee a vacant unit. LHA lists its admissions/occupancy office at 353 Elm Street, Lawrence, MA 01841 on the state program page.

Local housing resources

Scattered Sites — not one apartment address. LHA says these various sites have 23 buildings and 333 units, built 1960–1969. Its full directory address/range list: 37–55 Auburn Street; 38–42 Lebanon Street; 309–321 Hampshire Street; 212–228 South Union Street (source abbreviates “So.”); 190–198 Andover Street; 3–31 Atkinson (no street suffix in source); 33–47 Morton Street; 1–7 Farnham Street; 315–345 Salem Street; 8–14 Burke Street; 2–8 Blanchard Street; 2–8 Bailey Street; 116–147 Exchange Street; 170–172 Spruce Street; 66–70 Center Street. It separately lists the manager’s office at 65 Union Street, Lawrence, MA 01841 and emergency number 978-689-0281. Do not map all 15 street groups to the office or create 333 site-level vacancies. Source: https://lawrencehousing.org/properties/ LHA’s central administration contact is 353 Elm Street on its footer and state-program applications page, while 65 Union Street is also described as a central office and a residential development; these roles should not be combined or treated as extra properties. LHA’s federal and state program details: https://lawrencehousing.org/federal-public-housing/ and https://lawrencehousing.org/state-aided-public-housing/.

How we verify this information

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.

Our data methodologyReport outdated info

Nearby areas

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Frequently asked questions

Can someone with a felony record rent an apartment in Lawrence?

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.

Are there apartments in Lawrence that don't run background checks?

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.

Should I disclose my record before applying in Lawrence?

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.

How current is the screening information for Lawrence?

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.

How can I improve my chances of approval in Lawrence?

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.

Request Housing Help

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.

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