Offenders with mental health problems face particular difficulties in finding and keeping accommodation. Research shows that some mentally vulnerable and homeless people get trapped in a “revolving door” – a cyclical pattern of recurring homelessness, hospital admissions, arrests and possible imprisonment.

In some areas, there are specialist hostels and housing projects for ex-offenders, and other hostels have bedspaces reserved for ex-offenders and probation referrals. Nonetheless, there are relatively few projects that will accept serious offenders. In particular, sex offenders and people convicted of arson find obtaining hostel or other accommodation extremely difficult.

The State of Nebraska uses the moniker NDCS,Nebraska department of Correctional Services. We here at Douglas County use Douglas County Department of Corrections (DCDC).

Cindy,
I can’t speak for all, but here in Kansas, it is generally used to refer to the prisons. I do believe however, that jails also fall under the DOC, we just use DOC to differentiate between jail and prison.

Can one of you tell me if the term (acronym) DOC covers Jails and Prisons? This is a long going discussion here. I always thought Department of Corrections was a term used for all. Can someone set us all straight here? Thank you!!!

Of the last 50 inmates leaving the institution I talked to with the new release set up from the unit staff they are never released to nowhere if they do not have family a friend or a home to go to they are put in a halfway house or on rear occasions when there isn’t room in the halfway house they do get placed in a homeless shelter. Though usually on the way out they do not have amazing six figure jobs lined up but they have a job or a packet with everything they need to find a job on their own.

http://www.holiday.com

Community-based housing developers are the affordable housing providers in many of the communities that ex-offenders call home, yet these nonprofits have been slow to serve them. Most simply do not have the capacity and know-how to reach out to this growing population, especially in the areas of service provision and supportive housing development and management. Since many are dependent on the city’s good favor for land, buildings and development funding"development funding":http://www.bank-i-danmark.dk , few are willing to adopt a politically charged agenda of intentionally serving ex-offenders. http://www.laan-365.dk

Long as it’s after your corrections career has come to a close then no I don’t see it as wrong. However I do think that running a halfway house or treatment facility while still under public employment would be a bad idea and maybe borderline illegal under the ethics laws.

Jamestown, can’t say I’m surprized. Thats a major breech of security practices and completely unprofessional given that persons position of employment.

Here is an even better debate is it wrong if I opened a halfway house? Considering my correctional background I would excel at it. Also the money the sweet, sweet money.

Well believe it or not I knew a CO who bailed out a 16-yr-old boy to help him work on the farm, milk cows, bail hay. Needless to say after the Warden found that out he was no longer with us.

I’m probably going to start a big ugly debate with this comment but…. I’m sure theres a few somewhere but as a C/O I don’t know anyone who has worked in the prison setting for very long who would be willing to “rent” to an ex inmate, Myself included. Yes homelessness is a bad problem in this country that needs to be addressed. However how many people are homeless and never done harm to society or have served this country honorably? I believe in giving hand up’s to those who deserve them, not hand outs to those who don’t. Now 90% of veteran prison staff always say what? "DON"T TRUST AN INMATE", and like it or not it’s for a damn good reason. Now I’m sure a certain amount of ex offenders can or will change but ONLY if they want to better themselfs. Thats what community programs and halfway houses are for, not my spare bedroom.

Let’s be honest. Inmates and Parolees are given every opportunity to turn their lives around upon release. There are so many programs available within the prison before release, and after. I have seen so many inmates receive counseling, drug treatment, and job training while in prison. They can take classes that teach them everything from how to get a job, how to apply for welfare and SSI, foodstamps, a drivers license, how to apply for housing ,and where to find halfway houses if they feel they need time to adjust. Once out they still have the chance to attend drug treatment, and receive help from their parole office. Unfortunately, most have burned these bridges many times over. They leave or fail the programs, spend their money on drugs instead of housing, and steal from those who trust them. Prisons didn’t make these people homeless. They did it to themselves. A problem for society to deal with none the less.

It is a pity that anyone is homeless. But, we have a lot of homeless veterans out there that have committed no crimes. The people that go to prison for committing crimes against society may or may not have been homeless to begin with. However, just because they were in prison and released doesn’t meet the criteria for special treatment. Half will come back to prison regardless of their being homeless or not.

More than half our offenders have no where to go upon release. Many don’t even have a ride to a shelter. We provide a ride to them but what happens after that? No money, education, job skills, or work possibilities. So we get them back after a month or so. Sometimes after 2-3 days! Then, the cycle begins once again.

Max,

Having worked both sides of this housing issue I can see several ways to get the word out. One through your blog. I will check out yours and if I like it I will attach a link to my blog. Another is letters to the editor of your area paper. Housing for felons is a hot topic issue in our capital city Boise. I think a philospophical letter to some bigger papers would be one way of letting people know about this potential service and cash cow.

As a PO and as a pre-release specialist I loved folks like you. I worked with a retired CO in Boise who had a house. He would only rent to people on my caseload. They were all graduate out of an intensive drug treatment program. It helped to continue their treatment and community oriented living style after release.

I agree completely. although i believe there should be a strict interview and a steady income, i believe they deserve a second chance. everyone deserves an opportunity to regain their freedom and restart their lives.

I couldn’t agree more CHZBURGR, my wife and I have been felon friendly landlords in the Denver area and now teach others how to rent to former offenders out on parole or probation, effectively and profitably. I’ve come to corrections.com to share our experiences and encourage others, especially retired corrections officers, to consider renting individual furnished rooms in income properties they may have.
The national average for gross rents generated are $450 a month for a private room and $750 a month for a semi-private room (two beds).
It can really add up, normally producing a net cash flow of $1000 a month per dwelling unit. CHZBURGR, what would you suggest be the best way for us to get the word out to others in the field? FYI, our blog site is maxcashflownow.com where we have a free ebook available on the subject.

I have been working in the system for twelve years the last three as a parole officer and before that a pre release specialist. I feel that I am very familiar with this issue. In one year as a pre – release specialist I released probably 60-70 offenders to homeless shelters and halfway houses. Without the halfway houses (most are faith based) many of the offenders would have been homeless. Homeless offenders are going to reoffend much quicker than those that are released to better situations.

I was just going through these topics, and this one really kind of ticks me off.. I will be starting work in Texas in January, and personally I think it is ridiculous that we are worried about homeless releases, when you look at the system down here, and it looks like there are going to be more homeless COs than anything. I didnt know it at the time I signed the contract, but there is NO housing availible where I have been posted. Until I can find a place down there, I will be driving 5 hours, and showering in a truck stop, sleeping in my car. This isnt just a problem where I am going either. One of the main retention issues Texas has is that where the prisons are located, there is no housing in or around that area, and no dorms for the COs. Before we worry about the people getting out, lets take care of our own.