To support people who have been incarcerated and to reduce recidivism, policymakers and re-entry programs need to prioritize housing, according to a new study.

While previous research shows stable and safe housing provides benefits for formerly incarcerated people, including helping them maintain sobriety and mental health, securing post-incarceration housing is a pervasive challenge.

The new study was conducted as part of an evaluation of the Second Chance Act program funded by the National Institute of Justice.

The researchers interviewed 31 people who were three months to three years post-incarceration and analyzed the results. While participants came from three different geographical regions of the United States, commonalities were seen across barriers that formerly incarcerated people face in securing safe and stable housing.

Key Financial Housing Barriers:

  • Despite differences in housing markets, housing affordability was uniformly a challenge.
  • Housing affordability was exacerbated by difficulty in securing a job or finding a job with livable wages or high enough required income.
  • Other financial requirements, like deposits and a positive credit history, further complicated securing housing.

Key Non-Financial Housing Barriers:

  • Involvement in the criminal legal system substantially limits housing options.
  • Prohibitive paperwork requirements combined with inflexible timing of parole meetings made securing help with paperwork challenging.
  • Conditions of parole or probation may limit where individuals can live.
  • Many leave incarceration without necessary birth certificates, Social Security cards, or other identification needed for securing housing.

Read the full article about barriers to housing for previously incarcerated individuals by Kelli Burgos at Futurity.