Many of the approximately 10,000 men and women who parole weekly from U.S. prisons have no home to go to, which contributes to ineffective reintegration and higher recidivism, reported Christopher Moraff in Next City magazine.
Moraff wrote that 10 percent of those paroled are homeless immediately after their release. In the larger urban cities, where parolees were addicted to drugs, the number was as high as 30 percent.
Faith Lutze, criminal justice professor at Washington State University, said, “Without a safe and stable place to live where they can focus on improving themselves and securing their future, all of their energy is focused on the immediate need to survive the streets.” When surviving the streets becomes the primary goal of the formerly incarcerated, there is less time spent on effectively and successfully reintegrating.
For parolees, finding drug treatment facilities, employment, education and for some, mental health treatment is essential to successful reintegration. However, before any of these factors can be pursued, stable housing is imperative in order for an individual’s parole plan to have a chance of succeeding.
Moraff reported that the formerly incarcerated often have difficulty locating property owners who will rent to them, and more importantly, have trouble accumulating the three months’ rent usually required to rent a dwelling.
A team of researchers recently completed a comprehensive assessment of a Washington state program that aims to reduce recidivism. The program’s goal was to provide a year of housing support for high-risk offenders upon their release. The results showed a significant reduction in the number of inmates returning to prison and fewer paroles revoked.
Historically, only a few pioneering nonprofits focus their efforts on providing housing for ex-cons. In New York, the Fortune Society runs two successful transitional housing programs. The Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco provides housing along with its drug treatment program.
With the success of such programs, state governments are beginning to take notice. In New York, the Department of Corrections helped launch a housing program called FUSE (Frequent User Service Enhancement) to keep 200 homeless ex-inmates out of jails and shelters. Not only did the program benefit the individuals involved, it also reduced overall yearly costs by $15,000 per person.
Similar programs now are being implemented in a dozen other cities nationwide. In the near future, the increased availability of transitional housing could enhance public safety and greatly reduce the economic and human costs of recidivism.
