Concerns of prisoners ending up homeless across our region
Nacro - based in Stoke, Chesterton and Longton - says it's a crisis
The number of people leaving prison homeless has dramatically risen by around 50% according to recent MoJ data.
The West Midlands and North West region has experienced one of the biggest spikes in England and Wales with well over 2000 people released from prison into homelessness in the past year – that’s around 4 people a day.
The social justice charity, Nacro, which runs services for people leaving prison, is calling for more investment in local services to tackle the problem. The call comes ahead of reforms that will be implemented from the upcoming Independent Sentencing Review which outlines ways to reduce the number of people in prison.
Leaving prison homeless means you are twice as likely to reoffend as someone who comes out into settled accommodation, with reoffending costing the country £23.6 billion each year.
Campbell Robb is the Chief Executive at Nacro, which runs supported housing in places like Stoke town and Chesterton.
He said: “Leaving prison without a home is the terrible consequence of a broken system.
"The need for a secure place to live will become even greater, as more people are likely to serve more of their sentences in the community under the proposed sentencing reforms.
“Despite recent investment, these figures show that further action is needed. Long-term joined-up support and housing are essential if we want people to rebuild their lives and reduce reoffending.
“We will continue to work with Government and all partners inside and outside of prison to do what we can to try and ensure people get the support they need on release.”
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