When someone is released from prison, their offending history can make it difficult to find a home. Left with few options, many find themselves being placed in unsupported temporary accommodation where, without professional support, they are at risk of committing further offences, disengaging from probation, and negatively impacting other residents.
Our Targeted Referrals Partnership ensures that newly-released Probation clients receive support throughout their stay in temporary accommodation, helping to reduce reoffending rates, and quicken the pace of their transition into more long-term sustainable housing. We do this by supporting high-risk probation clients with:
This is the longest I’ve stayed out of prison ever, I’ve been out for a year now. Without such places and people like Justlife I don’t know exactly where I would be. I can see the light at the end of my tunnel, I feel much more positive about my future and I can only put it down to the help and support of Justlife.
Justlife client
Without a secure place to live in, the transition into day-to-day life and engaging in rehabilitative activities becomes more difficult. The result is that those who are released homeless are more likely to reoffend and return to prison.
Our support workers aim to minimise these risks by assessing an individual’s current situation and planning a strategy to help them progress towards more settled accommodation. This involves:
The consistency and quality of our support has also meant that landlords have greater trust in Justlife and the probation service. Many felt more comfortable with taking on higher-risk offenders because they knew they would receive support to manage the risks involved, and reduce any dangers to themselves and other residents.
We even found new landlords who were previously unwilling to take on high-risk offenders, but with our support felt more at ease, expanding the options for people who might otherwise have faced homelessness alone.
[My support worker has] been a Godsend. When I came out of prison I was all over the place. I can’t thank her enough, she came down to the job centre with me and helped with my benefits. You people are there when I need you and that’s a great feeling.
Justlife client
