Once an individual assessment has been performed, transition planners and their community-based collaborators can begin to compare the various housing options available to the inmate. As noted in the Research Highlights, above, a majority of people leaving prison or jail has connections to family members and may wish to reunite with them upon their release, particularly as an initial placement. Thus, when considering housing options, transition planners might well start by evaluating the benefits and risks of placement with the individual's family.

While for some prisoners, family reunification is a key goal of re-entry planning, an immediate transition back to a family home may not always be the safest option for anyone. (See Recommendation d, below, for more on how domestic violence may factor into housing decisions.) Family reunification is a viable option only for those individuals who maintain close ties to family or proxy family members. Among homeless and formerly institutionalized persons (such as persons with mental illness) and persons in prison or jail, ties to family members may have been lost for many years prior to the person's incarceration, which makes family reunification a challenging, if not impossible, option.

Transition planners, working alongside community corrections or housing organizations, should assess whether reuniting an inmate with family members will negatively impact the family, in some cases leading to family instability and disruption. Children, spouses, and partners will be affected by such changes. In some cases, the reunion of inmates with family members can lead to the eviction of the family from federally subsidized housing if the re-entering person does not apply for housing, pass the agency's screening process, and get added to the lease. Some individuals may have never been on the lease, or they may assume that the housing agency will simply reject their application. (See Research Highlights, above, for more on these restrictions.) On the other hand, for families that have children in foster care or are otherwise separated largely because they do not have safe, affordable housing, there may be opportunities to access Family Unification Program (FUP) housing vouchers, which enable families to purchase or lease to reunify parents whose children are in foster care because the parents lack safe, decent, and affordable housing. Further, FUP supportive services can address a range of issues that could affect reuniting families, including (among others) outreach, child care, job training/placement, case management, health care, transportation, education, life skills classes, counseling, housing search assistance, substance abuse treatment, parenting courses, mental health care, and budgeting advice.

Reunification will have an impact on the re-entering person as well. Families can be a source of support and encouragement for an individual leaving prison or jail; however, families can also contribute to that individual's instability and his or her risk of recidivism or relapse. In some cases, families simply may not have the means to support the addition of another family member, particularly one struggling with the numerous issues associated with leaving prison or jail. Such a strain on family resources can lead the returning individual to further criminal activity. In other cases, family members may have been the source or cause of unsafe behaviors that led to the individual's criminal activity in the first place. Reunifying with family members should not set the individual up for failure in re-entry. Key questions to ask are:

Whenever possible, corrections staff or housing specialists assisting with the transition plan should also seek information from others who have contact with the individual and/or his or her family while he or she is incarcerated. For instance, corrections unit staff may see how the person interacts with family members when they come to the facility; the warden may know that the person does not receive visits; and family members, former employers, friends, and neighbors may have information about the local environment into which the individual will be released. The transition planner, perhaps in conjunction with law enforcement or community corrections partners, should collect and analyze as much information as possible from all of these sources. Additionally, for re-entering parents with children in foster care, the transition planner should coordinate with the local child welfare agency to determine the availability of family reunification programs with supportive services, such as FUP.

Example: La Bodega de la Familia, Family Justice (NY)

A New York State Division of Parole officer and one of La Bodega's family case managers visit the home of the family member(s) a participating parolee intends to live with upon release. The parole officer develops a "Community Prep Report," which approves or disapproves the proposed residence and provides a general evaluation of the home environment, including who lives there, sources of income, and other issues. The family case manager is present to help assess such issues as family physical and mental health needs, as well as to facilitate discussion and explain La Bodega's program of family-centered community supervision. In instances where the home is deemed not suitable or the family prefers that the returning family member not live in the home, the parole officer and La Bodega staff explore other housing options. The completed Community Prep Report is then transferred to institutional staff.

Transition planners should work with inmates and their families to determine: 1) if the family is willing and able to accept the individual upon or after release; 2) if the family can provide transportation from the corrections facility to their home; and 3) what supports and assistance the individual or family members might need after reunification. Transition planners or family case managers can also refer reunifying families to appropriate community-based services, including faith-based organizations and local re-entry programs, to help them prepare for reunification and to provide them with ongoing services. (See Policy Statement 23, Victims, Families, and Communities, for more on services to help families plan for and adjust to a person's release from incarceration.)

Example: Kansas City Compassionate Ministry Center, Gracious Promise Foundation (KS)

At the Compassionate Ministry Center, families of incarcerated individuals participate in workshops to identify problems and determine solutions to issues related to the incarceration of the family member and to reunification. Family counseling (donated by a counseling services agency) and mentorship are available, as is direct assistance in the form of clothing, groceries, or assistance paying utility bills.

Once a family reunification plan is developed, transition planners can also assist in coordinating the person's release with family members. The transition planner should ensure that family members are aware of the date, time, and location of the inmate's release. Transition planners can then work with community-based organizations or community supervision staff to provide follow-up visits and assistance throughout the first few months after release.