Lack of long-term housing, supported accommodation and support for women key challenges facing prison leavers, new research shows

New research identifies the current challenges prison leavers face accessing stable housing and suitable support, including limited longer-term accommodation options, a shortage of supported housing for those with complex needs and insufficient support for women.

In light of Commonweal Housing’s ongoing work around the criminal justice sector, the charity commissioned criminal justice experts Nacro to explore the relationship between homelessness and the criminal justice system (CJS) and its impact on reoffending.

For those serving prison sentences, the risk of homelessness upon release can often increase from losing their tenancy or a breakdown in family ties.

Recent data shows that people who left prison without accommodation in 2022 had almost double the proven reoffending rate of those who had somewhere to live. Despite this, only 45 percent of prison leavers were released into settled accommodation in the year ending March 2023.

Nacro’s research identifies gaps in housing provision and the specific groups facing additional challenges based on findings from interviews with organisations providing housing services in the CJS.

The report highlights difficulties accessing longer-term settled housing options, as a challenge faced by prison leavers.

Recent Government initiatives introduced to tackle homelessness immediately on release from prison have seen an increase in people leaving prison to short-term temporary accommodation. Notably, this includes the Community Accommodation Service Tier 3 (CAS-3), which provides prison leavers with temporary accommodation for 12 weeks.

While these initiatives provide immediate relief from rough sleeping post-release for some, the lack of access to longer-term housing beyond this period continues to put individuals at increased risk of homelessness and reoffending.

Barriers to securing settled housing include difficulties accessing the private rented sector (PRS) and challenges accessing social housing. Local authorities can deem prison leavers intentionally homeless due to their offending history and are therefore not obligated to offer housing.

Likewise, the PRS is often not feasible due to affordability issues, including deposit and guarantor requirements. Some private landlords also express reluctance to rent to prison leavers because they rely on benefits to pay their rent.

The report also identifies a shortage of supported housing and wider support for people with higher support needs. Individuals with high or complex needs can find they are unable to access supported housing due to the level of need and support required.  This can lead to many being placed in inappropriate accommodation, such as living independently with little to no support, or becoming homeless.

In addition to individuals with higher support needs, the report finds women, young adults, and older people as other cohorts leaving prison who face additional housing challenges.

Most women are sent to prison for short-term sentences for low-level offences, with 70% of sentences being for less than 12 months, according to the Prison Reform Trust in 2021.

Existing data links short sentences to higher reoffending rates than those serving community alternatives. Additionally, individuals released after short sentences of less than 12 months can face more difficulties accessing settled accommodation post-release than those serving longer sentences. As noted in the report, women’s experiences of homelessness can have a significant impact on maintaining familial relationships, including their ability to reconnect with their children.

The report highlights recent political discussions on reducing the use of short prison sentences and increasing the use of community alternatives, including the Government’s Review of Sentencing which is considering their use and impact. Such a change could help prevent the detrimental effects of short sentences including for women, as echoed in the evaluation of Commonweal’s flagship Re-Unite pilot project.

The Re-Unite project provided housing and support for mothers exiting prison, many of whom were serving short sentences, enabling them to regain custody of their children and reduce the risk of reoffending.

More recently, Commonweal is supporting mental health charity Servol Community Services to deliver a project set to offer tailored housing alongside wraparound support for prison leavers with severe mental health issues and complex needs.

Commonweal has also partnered with The Daddyless Daughters Project to provide secure housing and trauma-informed support for young girls who are both care-experienced and have engaged with the CJS.

Ashley Horsey, Chief Executive at Commonweal Housing, said: “The criminal justice system has been a longstanding focus of Commonweal’s efforts since our inception.  It is a symptom of, but more disproportionately a driver of too much social injustice.  As a system it simply doesn’t do what we need it to by way of deterring crime or, importantly, rehabilitating individuals and reducing reoffending.

The new Government’s recently announced Review of Sentencing is expected to consider the role or relevance of short sentencing; this could be an important step forward in trying to make the criminal justice system and prison in particular fit for purpose.

Commonweal’s sixteen plus year support for projects operating around the criminal justice system has enabled us to witness, alongside project partners, the crucial role housing plays in helping those released from prison rebuild their lives.

We would like to thank Nacro for identifying the current areas and cohorts that require appropriate housing solutions to mitigate the risk of homelessness and reoffending.”