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Assessing Housing Barriers

Assessing Housing Barriers. Donna Harrison Community Placement Coordinator Virginia Department of Corrections Welcome Home: Addressing Today’s Challenges in Homeless Services June 2, 2009. Community Release Unit. *Types of Releases *About 14,000 offenders were released last year (2008).

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Assessing Housing Barriers

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  1. Assessing Housing Barriers Donna Harrison Community Placement Coordinator Virginia Department of Corrections Welcome Home: Addressing Today’s Challenges in Homeless Services June 2, 2009

  2. Community Release Unit *Types of Releases *About 14,000 offenders were released last year (2008). *Growing number of GTRD/no parole law cases being released *Increased need for specialized caseloads *Increase in number of homeless offenders being released

  3. Who are the homeless ex-offenders? • Females/males • Young adults/elderly • Healthy/physically disabled • Substance Abusers • Mentally ill • Developmentally Disabled • Non-violent/violent • Sex offenders

  4. Why are ex-offenders homeless? • No family support • Financial burden for family • Lack of housing for ex-offenders directly from incarceration • Lack of alternative housing for violent/sex offenders

  5. Why are ex-offenders homeless? • Limited financial resources to help pay for cost of housing • Offenders do not qualify for many housing assistance programs or low income housing • Limited housing resources for medically and/or mentally disabled offenders

  6. Additional Barriers for medically and/or mentally disabled offenders • Decrease in assisted living facilities • Shrinking number of Medicaid/AG beds in assisted living facilities • Nursing homes moving towards rehab care and private pay • Criminal history

  7. With supportive transitional housing….. • Communities are safer • Decrease in recidivism • Better coordination of medical and/or mental health care • Decrease in use of emergency services-hospital/ER visits

  8. What is DOC doing? • Education/vocational training • Treatment programs • Special transition housing units • Transition planning programs • Developing programs that focus on reintegrating families

  9. What is DOC doing? • Separated units in DOC facilities based on special needs populations • Agreements with other state agencies to apply for identity documents and state and federal benefits pre-release • Jail re-entry programs • Specialized caseloads in CRU

  10. Successes/Positives • Serve as mentors or leaders in re-entry and transitional housing programs, and substance abuse treatment programs • Network with employers • Utilize job skills • Apply education Give back to the community by being successful, active citizens and maintaining a healthy lifestyle

  11. Community Collaboration *Shelter Plus program *Partnering with DSS, CSB, shelters, and private mental health providers *Private housing providers partnerships with Probation & Parole Districts

  12. Things to Consider • Is the community safer if ex-offenders are excluded from housing services? • Can there be a pre-screening system created that will consider ex-offenders on a case-by-case basis? • Can there be a hotel/motel option? • Is it possible to establish more transitional housing programs for violent and non-violent offenders that are an extension of the shelter program? • Can there be replication of successful models of collaboration between DSS, CSB, Health departments, and P&P Districts?

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