Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support will be provided for vulnerable women housed as part of his Department’s new temporary accommodation service for prison leavers.

We are investing more than £20m in supporting prison leavers at risk of homelessness into temporary accommodation. Individuals released from prison will be provided up to 12 weeks of temporary accommodation and will be supported to secure long-term settled accommodation before the end of that 12-week period. Initially launching in five probation regions, the service will support around 3,000 offenders in its first year and will be commencing later this Summer. This service will be in operation during this financial year 2021-22, with a view to scaling up and rolling out nationally, though the Spending Review 2021 will set out the approach for future years.

The service will take account of the needs of women, including those with complex needs and accommodation provision will be dedicated to single gender usage as required. Community Probation Practitioners, working together with local partners, will be responsible for ensuring that vulnerable female prison leavers receive appropriate support and are provided with housing beyond the 12 weeks emergency accommodation.

Commissioned Rehabilitation Services are due to start delivery on 26 June 2021 which includes services to assist in accommodation; employment training and education; financial benefit and debt; and personal well-being. These provide a holistic service for all women leaving prison by providers based in the community they are released to. The accommodation service and mentoring service both start pre-release. The mentoring service aims to support those who lack social support make the transition from prison to community and assist in building social networks.