Prisoners and homelessness

How homelessness happens

There are three main reasons why ex-prisoners can find it hard to get suitable accommodation on release from prison:

They don’t have support

Prisoners usually can’t return to their old accommodation, and may not always be welcome at their family home. Public housing may only be offered subject to support being available, and temporary housing has limits applied. Even if they find accommodation, set-up expenses can be prohibitive. Support networks of friends are often lost while people are in prison, or they are avoided in order not to slip back into offending behaviour.

They don’t present well

Commonly, ex-prisoners have low functional literacy levels, low self-esteem, poor social skills, and perhaps mental health issues. They often feel judged by the prison connection, and can feel nervous when dealing with people. This makes getting accommodation difficult, particularly in a tight rental market.

They lack practical knowledge

Ex-prisoners may be (or feel) excluded from many opportunities due to a lack of the understanding of how the accommodation system ‘works’. They also often don’t know where to find the information they need.

With these and other problems facing them, many ex-prisoners find themselves out on the streets, or in temporary and unsuitable housing. This combination of financial difficulties and general instability can often lead to a return to the prison system.

What you can do to help

On all three levels described above, support agencies can be of the greatest assistance. You can help by:

Knowing the accommodation options for ex-prisoners
Learning how to work with ex-prisoners
Contacting the appropriate agencies for help

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