Housing Key Findings:
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Federal laws passed in 1996 and 1998 permit public housing agencies to deny housing to anyone who has ever engaged in “any drug-related” activity. Since these laws have been implemented, the number of applicants denied public housing because of “criminal backgrounds” doubled, from 9,835 to 19,405. [i]
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Under federal and state statutes in all 50 states, rental property owners may screen for and refuse to rent to people with criminal backgrounds.[ii]
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According to a 1997 study, approximately 12% of Texas state prisoners reported that they did not have housing at the time of their arrest, which increases the likelihood that an ex-offender will have difficultly finding housing when released. Likewise, the likelihood of homelessness increases for those with mental health and substance abuse problems.[iii]
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Women with minor children find securing housing particularly challenging given their limited economic resources.[iv]
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Programs that match offender needs with offered services are estimated to reduce recidivism risk by as much as 50%. [v]
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A study of the District of Columbia found that crime was no more prevalent around halfway houses for ex-offenders than in areas where there were no such facilities.[vi]
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Only 1/3 of homeless ex-offenders have their needs met through supported accommodation.[vii]
[i] Mauer, Marc. “Invisible Punishment: Block Housing, Education, Voting.” Focus, May/June 2003: 3-4. Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
[ii] The Council of State Governments. Report of the Re-entry policy Council: Charting the Safe and Successful Return of Prisoners to the Community
[iii] Hughes, Wilson, and Beck, “Trends in State Parole, 1990-2000.” Bureau of Justice Statistics. October 2001.
[iv] Nancy La Vigne et al. “Prisoner Reentry and Community Policing: Strategies for Enhancing Public Safety.” The Urban Institute. March 2006.
[v] Austin, James. 2001. “Prisoner Reentry: Current Trends, Practices, and Issues.” Crime and Delinquency 47:314-334.
[vi] “Housing First: A special Report.” NPR. http://www.npr.org/news/specials/housingfirst/whoneeds/ex-offenders.html
[vii] “Supported accommodation for ex-offenders: Identifying effective practice. Housing Research 138.” Joseph Rowntree Foundation. February 1995. http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/housing/pdf/H138.pdf