New report shows many prisoners are released into homelessness.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) said in a report that it was “particularly disturbed” to find that at least 3,713 people supervised by the National Probation Service, which is responsible for high-risk offenders, had left prison and become homeless from 2018 to 2019.
Ministry of Justice figures show 11,435 people were released from prison into homelessness in 2018-19, and 4,742 homeless people started community sentences in the same period.
Sadly this is playing out across our city and county and is a huge block to ex offenders rebuilding their lives. If you do not have secure accommodation it becomes almost impossible to find and hold a job down when your shifting between sofas, street and hostels.
Siobhan Hirrell, UP Project Development Officer
If we want to have safe and secure communities, we want ex offenders to be in work and to do that they need secure accommodation. Its putting them and the community at risk to release them into homelessness.
Rudi Parra-Watson, WIRE Project Development Officer
Our WIRE and UP projects work with job seekers who have offended in the past and offer a joined up “stepping stones “ approach. So they can address practical and emotional issues so they are able to move into work , training or education.
For more information please contact us.
