Broaden Access to Housing and Food
Background Key Findings Solutions
In 2005, TDCJ released nearly 6 times as many felons as it released in 1980.[i] For tens of thousands of these former inmates, the question of where they will live upon re-entry to society is immediate and critical. Housing barriers contribute to recidivism and homelessness, and they negatively impact a formerly incarcerated individual’s ability to reconnect with their families – pivotal to their success in re-entering the community and staying out of prison[ii].
But the indirect or collateral consequences of felony punishment in Texas extend beyond housing obstacles. For most felons, time in prison begins a life-long series of punishments, with legal barriers and roadblocks severely limiting access to all of life’s most fundamental necessities – including food and other public assistance.
[i] Jamie Watson, A Portrait of Prisoner Reentry in Texas, (2004), http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/410972_TX_reentry.pdf.
[ii] The Urban Institute, From Prison to Home. The Dimensions and Consequences of Prisoner Reentry, (June 2001), 35, 37, http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/from_prison_to_home.pdf.