This blog is part of a series on the intersection of housing and the criminal legal system.
Housing developers and service providers play a critical role in supporting re-entry, reducing recidivism and preventing interaction with the criminal legal system. They can help advance criminal justice reform by safely housing people impacted by the criminal legal system.
Studies show that involvement with the criminal legal system, even if a person is never convicted, can have lasting economic consequences that make it difficult to access and afford housing. These consequences extend across neighborhoods and generations.
We also know that formerly incarcerated people are 10 times more likely than the general public to become homeless. And those who have been incarcerated face further challenges in securing housing due to a lack of availability of affordable homes, discrimination and difficulty qualifying for housing programs.
At Enterprise, we seek to dismantle these housing restrictions and build opportunity by expanding access to affordable housing with services for people returning from prisons and jails.
A training curriculum for housing providers
In early 2021, Enterprise, in partnership with The Fair Housing Justice Center, The Fortune Society, Local Initiatives Support Corporation and The Vera Institute of Justice, launched a training curriculum: Housing People Impacted by the Criminal Legal System. The course introduced housing stakeholders to barriers that people impacted by the criminal legal system face and the housing strategies that can support their re-entry.
The training included a diverse cohort of housing providers, advocates, and service providers representing California and New York, including upstate and downstate counties. The curriculum has three main goals:
- Build the capacity of community-based service and justice organizations to enter the housing space
- Support partnerships at the intersection of housing and the criminal legal sector to prevent incarceration and engage in new ways
- Establish opportunities for providers to learn from one another and to discuss changes in the industry to support formerly incarcerated people.
Following the program, participants shared deeper insight into the complex barriers faced by this population. “Gaining knowledge about the challenges organizations face that help those recently released [and] having that information help[ed] me--my [organization]--think of unconventional ways to help,” cited a participant. Participants reviewed and updated internal housing policies to use humanizing language and had transparent conversations about how to lead with inclusiveness.
The training helps participants develop industry-specific expertise and share information about existing housing resources.
“I have access to educational materials from the leading agencies in this curriculum and that is huge as far as a resource. I have to say, the knowledge and expertise of the presenters were really educational and beneficial. The real-world experience is helpful for context.”
As a result of the training, participants were able to apply the knowledge learned on the ground and identify new funding opportunities that could expand their operations. The program also connected developers to those with experience in the justice space who helped assess the financial feasibility of their plans and funding opportunities.
“The most impactful instance is that I’m getting phone calls from developers—they want to do this work, but they don’t understand the finances of it. Now, I can send one-pagers from Enterprise on this topic.”
However, there remains a large information gap between housing providers and social service providers on the matter. Building on our work in New York, Denver and Cleveland as well as our upward mobility initiatives, we are finding promising housing models and expanding proven solutions so people have safe, stable homes when they return to their communities and rebuild their lives.
For housing providers in New York, check out the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s new marketing guidelines on how to assess applications from formerly incarcerated people.
Enterprise New York’s Housing as a Pathway to Justice Program is supported by JPMorgan Chase and Mizuho Americas.