Prisoners' Release: Housing

(asked on 13th December 2021) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to support prison leavers into permanent safe and secure housing beyond the 12 weeks of accommodation provided by his Department's temporary accommodation service.


Answered by
Kit Malthouse Portrait
Kit Malthouse
This question was answered on 21st December 2021

Our Prisons White Paper sets out our vision that no-one subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless. This July we launched our Community Accommodation Service which provides up to twelve weeks temporary housing to prison leavers in five regions, with support to move to settled accommodation from an offender’s probation practitioner and the Community Rehabilitative Services. By 2024-25 we will spend £200 million a year to reduce reoffending, including improving prison leavers’ access to accommodation by expanding the Community Accommodation Service.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) announced their Accommodation for Ex-Offenders (AfEO) scheme on 28 July 2021. Local authority-led schemes vary and include a mixture of funding deposits, insurance or landlord incentives to help people into their own home, as well as landlord liaison and ongoing tenancy support. The scheme has been developed, together with the Community Accommodation Service, to provide a pathway for prison leavers from prison into their own private rented sector accommodation. Overall, this year, £13 million has been allocated to 87 schemes across 145 local authorities.

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