Housing support for prison leavers

The RR3

The Lowering Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group (RR3) offers the important thing interface between the voluntary sector, the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS with the aim of accelerating mutual understanding and constructing a robust and efficient partnership. The RR3 convenes Particular Curiosity Teams to advise on particular areas of coverage and follow and this report has been produced by the Lodging SIG.

The report

The report is predicated on two proof periods comprised of twenty-one voluntary organisations and officers from the Ministry of Justice and His Majesty’s Jail and Probation Service (HMPPS), alongside a name for proof that acquired 30 submissions. The SIG thought of legislative modifications and Authorities initiatives designed, since 2018, to mitigate among the points raised, and explored proposed suggestions.

The report is split into two sections:

Housing-related help and the obstacles to the efficient supply of servicesThe limitations of commissioning.

Housing help

The report finds that there’s a important hole in sources and the experience to supply supported housing to folks leaving jail, in addition to a spot in bespoke providers which might help folks with complicated wants and/or who’re thought of increased danger of significant hurt.

Bespoke psychological well being and substance misuse help had been highlighted as significantly missing, with a discount in specialised, registered professionals corresponding to occupational therapists and psychological well being leadsThis hole in sources is exacerbated resulting from stress from grownup social care providers for supported housing suppliers to simply accept “increased danger” people who suppliers can’t successfully danger handle. The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, with its concentrate on growing the standard of supported housing provision, additionally carries the chance – resulting from elevated regulation and native scrutiny – of lowering the availability that’s obtainable for folks leaving jail.

Different points embody:

A rise in examples of sub-standard supported lodging, missing in applicable help, together with examples of unscrupulouslandlords who obtain enhanced housing profit charges however who present restricted help.Blockages resulting from restricted move-on choices Restricted choices for girls – there’s a restricted pool of women-only supported lodging.

Commissioning limitations

The report additionally explores  limitations inside the present commissioning of supported housing provision, with 4 key obstacles to efficient service supply raised as of specific concern:

The restrictions of short-term contractingContract valuesSiloed supportIncreased complexity of want.

Brief-term contracting

Floating help contracts range in size, with examples given of four-week help contracts (which particularly pertains to the phrases of  engagement between the service and an individual utilizing that service). Such a brief time period doesn’t enable for ample help to be offered for folks with significantly complicated wants.

Contract values

Contract values have remained stagnant for almost all of the final decade with the outcome that voluntary suppliers are successfully subsidising the work from their fund-raising actions. The problem of worth has a knock-on impact on the staffing of providers, with specialist providers having to be run by a smaller variety of employees members, lowering the standard of the help service.

Siloed help

Assist is commonly supplied in siloes, which isn’t appropriate for folks presenting with complicated and infrequently overlapping wants. Demand can be rising as a result of earlier eligibility necessities, corresponding to having been in touch with the felony justice system, now not apply. Because of widening the factors, folks leaving jail are being pushed out of accessing help and are sometimes deprioritised. Siloed commissioning not solely fails to supply efficient help to folks with complicated wants, however can be an costly mannequin.

Elevated complexity of want

The report discovered that many providers offered solely low-level help whereas the folks in want of help had been presenting with more and more complicated wants.

Suggestions

The report concludes with 5 key suggestions:

Guarantee entry to prisons for supported housing employees to satisfy folks forward of launch.Obligate native authorities to contemplate the extent of supported housing inventory required to help folks leaving jail with help wants greatest met in supported housing, together with particular provision for girls.Be sure that housing help contracts are of a size obligatory, reflecting want, to supply the quantity of help required.Be sure that commissioned providers cater for folks presenting with complicated and overlapping wants, with particular provision for individuals who have been in touch with the felony justice system.Provision of further, women-only supported lodging.

Due to Dan Meyers for form permission to make use of the header picture on this put up which was beforehand revealed on Unsplash.