"Working to
Build A Better Community"
"The
probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not deter us from the
support of a cause we believe to be just."
~ Abraham Lincoln
EX-OFFENDER HOUSING DISCRIMINATION
THE BIG PICTURE: REALITY IN THE U.S.
THE REALITY IN MASSACHUSETTS
Current
Re-entry Programs
Sample Re-entry Pathways
Recidivism
Homelessness
Social/Legal
Barriers
Personal Barriers
THE LAW IN MASSACHUSETTS
COMMUNITY RESOURCES IN
MASSACHUSETTS
PROGRAMS IN OTHER STATES
HOMELESSNESS
▼OVERVIEW
/ ▼UNCERTAINTY
IN IDENTIFYING HOMELESS EX-OFFENDERS /
▼EFFECTS
OF HOMELESSNESS /
▼LACK
OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING
/ GLOSSARY
Overview
Ex-offenders face myriad potential difficulties in finding
housing upon release from prison. Lack of affordable housing, broken family
ties and obstacles posed by disclosure of their Criminal Offender Record
Information (CORI) reports are just a few of the many obstacles that
ex-offenders face. These same factors also put ex-offenders at particular
risk of becoming homeless.
- The Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) claims a “zero-tolerance policy” for homelessness among ex-offenders. The hope is that ideally, all ex-offenders will have a home upon release. However, a study by the Criminal Justice Institute indicates that 20-25% of inmates who complete their sentences become homeless.
While there are no direct statistics documenting the number of ex-offenders who remain homeless after release, the studies discussed below show that a significant number of homeless individuals have had contact with the criminal justice system (either arrest or incarceration).
- A 2002 study by
the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA) included a survey of
adult shelters throughout the state. The survey showed that an estimated
6% of new guests arriving at shelters were ex-offenders. (There is reason
to believe that this number might be low due to underreporting).
According to Community Resources for Justice, (a research and advocacy
organization in Boston), an ex-offender may feel compelled to hide his or
her criminal history when attempting to enter a shelter for fear of being
turned away. A 1997 study of shelter residents in
Boston found that a significantly higher number – 22% - had spent time
in a criminal justice facility. National level research estimates that
24% of those who are homeless at any given time have spent time in a state
or federal prison.
- Studies suggest that factors that plague many homeless people (i.e., mental illness, substance abuse and unemployment) are also highly prevalent among ex-offender populations. For more information on these factors, please view the Personal Barriers and Addiction and Public Health pages. One study estimated that lifetime arrest rates for those with mental illness are between 42 and 50%. A survey of 25 cities showed that homelessness was attributable to lack of affordable housing, lack of mental health and addiction service along with a dearth of low paying jobs. This survey included Boston-based data that cited criminal histories of those addicted to drugs (i.e., CORI records) as major obstacles to obtaining housing and a major cause of homelessness.
Uncertainty in
Identifying Homeless Ex-Offenders
It is impossible to precisely
quantify the number of ex-offenders who are homeless. Indeed, the MHSA
study discussed above includes only those ex-offenders who were living in
shelters, and does not include those who are living on the streets. Unlike
those ex-offenders who are released on parole, ex-offenders who complete
their terms in prison are not tracked upon release. For more
information on post-release supervision, please view the
Recidivism
page.
Information on the well-being of paroled ex-offenders is also scarce. While ex-offenders who are on parole are required to give their parole officer an address where they can be reached, an interview with a Massachusetts parole officer suggested that many addresses ex-offenders provide turn out to be false upon verification. Ex-offenders may feel compelled to give an address of a friend or relative with whom they are not in fact living in order to satisfy the parole requirement of providing an address. Likewise, ex-offenders may feel compelled to attest to having a permanent address even when this is not the case, when this is required as a pre-requisite for getting a job. One parole officer stated that it is also common for ex-offenders to stay with friends or relatives even when this is in violation of public housing regulations.
Effects of Homelessness
Homelessness among ex-offenders has a significant negative
impact on society as a whole.
- There is a
statistical association between homelessness and crime. (Crimes are
committed by and also against homeless individuals).
- A 2002 Annual Report for the City of Cambridge indicates that while homeless people represented only 0.5% of the population in Cambridge, they represented 10% of the total arrests.
- Due to the fact that crimes committed by those who are homeless are more readily detected, it should be noted that the observed association between homelessness and crime may be skewed. Even so, the association between homelessness and crime supports an argument that greater access to housing for ex-offenders may decrease recidivism rates.
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Roosevelt Towers - Affordable Housing in Cambridge |
The prospect that ex-offenders will become homeless in Massachusetts is exacerbated by the overall lack of accessible affordable housing in the state. A recent study of housing in Massachusetts identified the high cost of housing and the need for more housing units as key dilemmas. The study stated that "the result is an increase in the total share of income devoted to housing needs. According to the American Housing Survey of 1998, almost half (48 percent) of all renter households spent more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) spent more than 50 percent of their income on housing."
The study also estimated there would be “a five year housing shortfall of just under 36,000 or 7,200 [housing units] a year given current economic projections” for the Greater Boston area. These statistics indicate that finding affordable housing is problematic for anyone, even without a criminal record. The problem is even more challenging for an ex-offender.