Prisoner Reentry and Housing November 30, 2010
Posted by FairSentencing in : Current News , trackbackWhen individuals are released from prison or jail, the ability to access safe and secure housing within the community is crucial to their successful reentry. According to Reentry Housing Options: The Policymakers’ Guide, studies have shown that the first month after release is a vulnerable period “during which the risk of becoming homeless and/or returning to criminal justice involvement is high.” Yet, in most jurisdictions to which individuals return after incarceration, accessible and affordable housing is in exceedingly short supply.
Additional challenges unique to people with a criminal history make it even more difficult for them to obtain suitable housing. For instance, private-market rental housing is closed to many individuals transitioning from prison or jail either because they lack sufficient funds for move-in costs or because landlords are unwilling to rent to people with criminal records. Likewise, public housing often keeps out those with a history of criminal activity, based on limited federal exclusions and the generally much broader local restrictions. Even when people who have been in prison or jail are not excluded systematically and receive financial assistance (for example, through housing choice vouchers), affordable units are frequently so scarce relative to need that the options are, effectively, unavailable. And although many people leaving prison or jail would like to live with family or friends, those households may be unable or unwilling to receive them. Therefore, as a last resort, many reentering individuals turn to homeless shelters.
Types of Housing Options for Reentering Individuals
| Private-market Rental Housing | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Benefits | Limitations |
| Individual secures rental property in the private market. | Most commonly available option in any community. | Rental property owners may screen for, and refuse to rent to, people with criminal records. |
| May be partly or entirely paid for by public assistance. | Public assistance to help pay for housing costs may be denied to individuals with criminal records. | |
| Individuals may use a housing choice voucher (Section 8 voucher) to access rental property in the private market. | ||
| Allows individual freedom to choose housing near work, family, supervision, or treatment facility. | ||
| Public Housing | ||
| Features | Benefits | Limitations |
| Priority and eligibility for housing is decided locally. | May include units specially designated for people with physical or mental disabilities or older people. | More affordable than private-market rental housing. |
| Tenant typically pays 30 percent of adjusted income toward rent. | More affordable than private-market rental housing. | More affordable than private-market rental housing. |
| Affordable Housing (nonprofit or privately owned and managed) | ||
| Features | Benefits | Limitations |
| Subsidized using a variety of government (and limited private) sources. Generally, tenant pays 30 percent of income toward rent. | Typically more affordable than private-market rental housing. | Availability is limited, and waiting lists may be long. |
| Mission-driven to serve low-income or disadvantaged people. | Depending on source(s) of funding, may not be bound by some of the statutory restrictions that govern public housing. | Owners may exercise discretion to exclude people with criminal histories. |
| Often coordinated or run by community development corporations or neighborhood-based housing organizations. | May provide support services on site. | |
| Halfway House | ||
| Features | Benefits | Limitations |
| Provides housing for individuals close to or just after release, usually in a highly supervised environment. | Offers transition between the fully secure, structured, monitored environment of incarceration and the community. | May be available for limited duration only. |
| May be focused on behavior change, including addressing substance abuse. | May enable individuals to work during their residency while keeping their expenses (if any) very low. | Availability is limited, and waiting lists may be long. |
| Housing may be conditional on compliance with community-based service plans or other conditions. | May have alternative funding streams, including Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment block grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which provide loans to help people with substance use disorders secure housing. | May not be desirable to released individuals because of rigid structure, including possible limitations on visitation and freedom to come and go at will. |
| Does not address post-sentence, post-parole, or longer-term housing needs. | ||
| Supportive Housing | ||
| Features | Benefits | Limitations |
| Tenant pays 30 percent of income toward rent, often from public benefits (e.g., Supplemental Security Income). | Offers on-site services that may include case management, assistance with household chores, and mental health and substance abuse counseling. | Under federal law, public housing authorities or any federally assisted housing provider may refuse people who have been convicted of certain offenses. If privately operated, owners may exercise discretion to exclude people with criminal histories. |
| Mission-driven to serve low-income or disadvantaged people. Depending on funding source(s), eligibility may be limited to people who were homeless prior to short periods of incarceration and/or to people with disabilities. | May offer permanent housing. | Availability and funding may be limited from one jurisdiction to another. |
| Often coordinated or run by community development corporations or neighborhood-based housing organizations. | ||
| Specialized Reentry Housing | ||
| Features | Benefits | Limitations |
| Availability and funding may be limited from one jurisdiction to another. | Addresses specific housing and service needs of formerly incarcerated people. | Difficult to create due to lack of dedicated funding streams and because community opposition frequently arises when trying to secure a site for housing for individuals with criminal records. |
| Nonprofit staff are trained to interface with criminal justice personnel. | Very limited availability. | |
| Offers opportunity for peer-support and mentorship among releasees. | ||
Without a stable residence, it is nearly impossible for newly released individuals to reconnect positively to a community. More often than not, when these individuals are not linked to the services and support that could facilitate their successful reintegration, they end up reincarcerated for either violating the conditions of release or for committing a new crime.
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