The gist of it was that in many (all?) places in the US, a landlord can be sued if they rent to someone who has a criminal record who then went on commit another crime. As a result, few landlords will rent to them. I hang out on real estate forums and have never met anyone who would rent to someone with a criminal record.
Getting a job is a whole other problem.
That's just one example of the challenges they face.
https://www.marketplace.org/2021/02/01/the-afterlife-of-mass...
I can't find it right now, but there's also a TED talk by a former state official (state senator?) who committed a crime and spent a very brief time in prison. It was eye opening to him how he was denied pretty much everything once he got out, and only through his connections was he able to get employment.
Couple that with the fact that the US is the country that imprisons the highest proportion of its own citizens, and it's terrifying.