Housing, while addressed only briefly during intake (Policy Statement 8, Development of Intake Procedure), is a subject that becomes keenly important as a person prepares to leave a correctional facility and return to the community. Once a release decision has been made (Policy Statement 18, Release Decision), and a release date is known, transition planners should assess each individual's housing situation and begin seeking housing placement options that are appropriate for the particular needs and strengths assessed. Working alongside community-based housing and other social services providers, transition planners should be well versed in the residential options available in the home community of the individual approaching release, including housing possibilities, if any, with his or her family. Accordingly, the first set of recommendations in this policy statement fall under the subheading "Incorporating Housing into the Transition Plan." Subsequent recommendations are under the caption "Increasing the Housing Options Available," and refer to ways in which funding streams and collaboration with community organizations can be marshaled to increase the overall supply of housing stocks for re-entering individuals.

Recommendations:

A.

Ensure that transition planners, working with community-based organizations, are familiar with the full range of housing options available in each community and maintain lists or inventories of available housing.

1.

Homelessness is prevalent among people released from prison and jail.

B.

Determine on an individualized basis the particular housing needs for each person released from prison or jail.

2.

There is insufficient affordable housing available to people coming out of prison.

C.

Evaluate the feasibility, safety, and appropriateness of an individual living with family members after his or her release from prison or jail.

3.

Of the affordable housing available, people with criminal records often are not eligible for it.

4.

Families can often provide an immediate source of safe housing to people released from prison, but doing so may mean risking the entire family's tenancy in publicly subsidized housing.

D.

Ensure that family violence risks are recognized and addressed in the housing plan of any person whose return to the community may pose a risk to the individual or to his or her family or partner.

E.

Identify the appropriate housing option for each incarcerated individual well in advance of release.

5.

Individuals released from prison who have a connection to stable housing may be less likely to be re-incarcerated than their counterparts.

6.

Transitional and supportive housing options may facilitate a successful re-entry, but they are not available in sufficient supply.

F.

Educate prisoners about strategies for finding and maintaining housing in the community, and teach them about their legal rights as tenants in the private rental market.

G.

Provide individuals who are entering the private rental market-and who demonstrate that they are without adequate resources to pay rent-with small stipends and/or housing assistance for the period immediately after release.

H.

Tap state and local funding used for traditional public safety and criminal justice purposes and leverage those resources to finance the development of supportive housing.

I.

Develop "re-entry housing," to meet the specific and unique needs of people released from prison or jail.

J.

Encourage private sector or nonprofit housing developers or community-based organizations to develop housing accessible to people leaving prison or jail.

K.

Consider individuals leaving prison or jail who have histories of homelessness as part of the homeless priority population, to facilitate their access to supportive housing made available under the McKinney-Vento Act.

L.

Coordinate with the local Public Housing Authority (PHA) to determine the eligibility of people leaving prison or jail for publicly managed or Section 8 housing.