Kim Kardashian West will pay released prisoner Matthew Charles' rent
Just three days after he revealed he could not find housing in Nashville, Matthew Charles learned he would not have to worry about paying rent for the next five years — all thanks to Kim Kardashian West.
"Now, all... I have to do is find the place," Charles said Monday night.
Charles was released from prison Jan. 3 under a new law known as the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform law signed by President Donald Trump in December. The law allows judges to retroactively apply the drug sentencing reforms of the Fair Sentencing Act.
Kardashian West and other celebrity activists brought attention to the reform push that eventually became the law. Reporting by Nashville Public Radio helped raise the profile of Charles' case, and others like it.
Since his release, Charles has bought a car, been staying with a friend in the city's River Glen neighborhood and found full-time employment with Families Against Mandatory Minimums — a nonprofit justice reform advocacy group.
But when he went to apply to rent a town home last Tuesday, he was denied on the basis of his criminal history and his lack of credit after being incarcerated for more than 20 years.
Charles, who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense, said he's looked at just over a dozen apartments or town homes in the past few weeks, but had only applied to one complex so far.
"I’m pretty distraught about it because it’s not allowing me to have a full second chance," Charles told the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee on Friday.
On Sunday, Charles revealed his celebrity champion had stepped in to aid him once again in a social media post.
"Kim did not do this for attention or publicity, but I had to share it because it's to (sic) good not to, and my heart is about to burst with happiness, that I wish you to rejoice in this news with me," Charles wrote in a Facebook post.
His friend Tim Hardiman said Kardashian West's team reached out to Charles Sunday after seeing a USA TODAY Network - Tennessee story published Friday on his struggles to find housing.
The details are still being worked out with Kardashian West's financial team, but Charles and friend Hardiman said they hope to have found a place by the end of the week.
"He's been humbled by the response we've gotten since the story was published. We're still looking for a place that's a good fit for him. Kim's generosity has made that a lot easier," Hardiman said Monday night.
Hardiman said Charles was "overwhelmed by her generosity" and will now be able to save money and eventually put a down payment on a house of his own.
Tennessean reporter Natalie Alund contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kim Kardashian West will pay released prisoner Matthew Charles' rent
