The Intersection Between Justice Involvement and Housing

Individuals leaving prisons, or correctional facilities, often struggle to find housing. Many of these people are often from racialized or Indigenous backgrounds or have mental health issues. They face significant stigmas and limited support from traditional housing options. The COVID-19 pandemic has made these problems worse and has increased their risk of homelessness. This research offers recommendations for effective practices and policies to help these people find safe and adequate housing.

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Project scope and expected outcomes

Understanding the intersection between justice involvement and housing

This research project used a multi-phased approach to capture the complex but powerful link between homelessness and involvement in the criminal justice system. The research found that individuals who are visibly homeless in public places are over-policed. They encounter law enforcement officers much more often than those who have a place to live.

Some kinds of criminal activity, like shoplifting or theft, can be a necessary survival act for people living with homelessness. Incarceration – even for short periods of time – may lose wages, employment, social assistance benefits, personal belongings and continuity of physical and mental health care. Up to one-third of individuals leaving Ontario prisons are released with no fixed address.

This often leads to a grim cycle of incarceration and homelessness for many. These findings highlight the need for affordable housing and support services that address the specific challenges faced by individuals involved in the justice system.

Recommendations to address the needs

This research project found that the barriers caused by justice involvement are systemic, meaning the solutions must be systemic as well. Changes in policy will be necessary to reverse the upward trend in the criminalization of poverty in Ontario:

• Affordable housing programs should include specific options for people involved in the justice system. This includes short-term transitional housing and long-term supportive housing.
• Income assistance programs like Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program should be maintained for a reasonable amount of time while one is incarcerated.
• Efforts should be increased to help individuals transition smoothly from correctional institutions to the community. This includes ensuring they have proper identification, maintaining continuity of healthcare, and receiving necessary housing supports.
• More funding and resources should be assigned to organizations that provide reintegration. The emphasis should be on helping released individuals navigate systems effectively.
• Services need to be more accessible to remote and Northern communities.

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