To increase the chances of individuals finding housing as they return to the community from prison or jail, transition planners should begin assessing the housing needs of each person well in advance of his or her release. Ideally, every person should be released directly to appropriate housing, maximizing his or her opportunity for a successful transition to the community. Even when community resources are limited, however, release should not be postponed for or denied to any individual just because no housing options are available.

In developing the housing components of inmate transitional plans, corrections staff should build upon information collected through a housing assessment of the individual, including his or her previous housing histories, histories of homelessness and institutionalization, and eligibility for subsidized or special-needs housing. This assessment should be conducted as early as possible for inmates in jail. Particularly when the timing of a person's release is unpredictable, jail administrators may wish to integrate this assessment into the intake procedure. (See Policy Statement 8, Development of Intake Procedure, for more on prioritizing assessments for jail inmates.) For prisoners, this screening may be done briefly during the intake procedure, but a more extensive assessment should be conducted six months to one year prior to their release, with updates as needed. Identification of the correct option must account for each of the assessed needs and characteristics of the person, such as:

Additional questions to consider regarding the individual's post-incarceration housing needs include:

In county and local facilities where the term of incarceration is too short to allow for significant assessment activities, transition planners should at least provide inmates with basic information about how to access community-based housing resources.