This new research from Nacro, commissioned by Commonweal Housing identifies the current challenges prison leavers face accessing stable housing and suitable support. This include:
- limited longer-term accommodation options
- a shortage of supported housing for those with complex needs
- insufficient support for women.
The report explores recent data shows that people who left prison into homelessness have almost twice the proven reoffending rate of those with housing. Despite this, only 45 percent of prison leavers were released into settled accommodation in the year ending March 2023.
At the outset of this report, it is important to set out the context of the wider housing and homelessness crisis in England, especially within the context of affordable homes. In late 2023, the National Housing Federation assessed that for every new social home built in England in 2022-23, six households were assessed as homeless by local authorities.
Beyond the lack of social housing, households in England are increasingly facing problems of overcrowding (4% of all homes in England and Wales are overcrowded) as well as failing to meet Decent Homes Standard (14% of all households in England).
Between April 2022 and March 2023, 298,430 households in England were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, with a record number of households living in temporary accommodation. Increased unaffordability of the private rented sector (PRS) has exacerbated this issue (StepChange, 2023). It is within this wider context which we look specifically at the intersection with the criminal justice system and the role homelessness and housing plays in offending and recidivism.
This report aims to present the most recent and relevant evidence around homelessness and criminal justice, as well as drawing on the expertise of people who work in organisations providing services to people in need of housing support who have had contact with the justice system, and the views and experiences of people who have direct experience of the criminal justice system.