WHERE'S LINE OF FORGIVENESS FOR DRUG USE?

Stephanie would like to know exactly where that line is - the one that
separates her from Gov. George W. Bush.

"It drives me crazy," she said. "I sit here and watch television. George
Bush says he hasn't done drugs in 20 years, and they want to elect him
president. I haven't done drugs in three years and can't even find a decent
place to live."

I agreed not to use Stephanie's last name. Rebuilding a life after drugs is
precarious enough.

But Stephanie is trying. And she's wondering where that line of forgiveness is.

The public seems unconcerned about youthful indiscretions. But Stephanie is
learning that landlords are still deeply interested - especially when a
conviction is involved.

Like many drug users, Stephanie never saw the danger. "I was just floating
along before this happened, thinking I'd never be in trouble."

But then came a drug bust - and a felony conviction for possession of
methamphetamines. "That sobered me up real quick," she said. "When they
threaten your freedom, you tend to wise up."

So Stephanie, 33, is on probation. Her boyfriend was busted about the same
time. He, too, is on probation. And they have built a clean and sober life
together.

46inding jobs was easy, she said. Her boyfriend, a machinist, has been on
the same job almost two years. She has been working in the same store for 1
1/2 years.

Apartment worries

So money is not the problem. Finding a landlord willing to accept their
money has been the difficulty.

What Stephanie didn't know is that apartment complexes now conduct criminal
background checks on applicants. And a felony conviction equals an
automatic rejection.

Stephanie said she has been rejected at probably more than 20 complexes.
"It's very frustrating," she said.

Sandy Rollins of the Texas Tenants Union said it's a story she hears all
the time. "People pay their debt to society and are then expected to become
contributing members of the community. But there are a lot of obstacles
that make that extremely difficult," she said.

On the other hand, apartment residents do want safe, drug-free
surroundings. And Gerry Henigsman of the Apartment Association of Greater
Dallas said that's the point of background checks.

"Drugs are a very critical problem in apartment communities," he said. "And
the presence of drugs is the first step toward much greater problems -
thefts, robberies, unsavory people."

Screening policies

So with the arrival of computer databases, criminal background checks have
become routine.

And here's the rub for Stephanie: Clean living and good intentions count
for nothing.

"The screening policy has to be consistent," Mr. Henigsman said. "If it's
not, you run the risk of violating fair housing laws. Apartment managers
can't be making individual decisions, accepting some and rejecting others."

So never mind that Stephanie's job supervisor will vouch for her. Never
mind that Stephanie's mom will co-sign a lease with her. That conviction
means disqualification.

And that means Stephanie and her boyfriend have lived for almost two years
in motels. They now pay $760 a month for a single room with a kitchenette.

They have tried repeatedly to find a duplex or garage apartment. But such
places are almost nonexistent in the suburban area where they work.

Meanwhile, drugs and temptation abound around their motel. A prostitute was
murdered in a room above theirs. "We just stay locked inside so nothing
will happen," Stephanie said.

She sits and watches TV, wondering exactly where the line is - the one that
separates her motel room from the White House.