Moving In After Getting Out: Housing After Incarceration

Charlotte City Council recently voted to recriminalize public urination and defecation. While this is a win for the cleanliness and upkeep of our beautiful city, citizens are left wondering who will be affected by these changes. Will the previously incarcerated homeless individuals return to jail and continue a never-ending cycle? This issue expands far beyond a Uptown park bench. As of May 2023, Mecklenburg County’s homeless population is 3,162. Who are the people sleeping on sidewalks and under bridges? According to a report by the Prison Policy Initiative, former prison inmates are ten times more likely to become homeless than the general population. Most individuals leaving incarceration cannot afford to buy or rent housing in the private market. “If people don’t have stable housing when they get out, they’re much more likely to go back,” said Steve Berg, Vice President for Programs and Policy at the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

How does the Charlotte community prepare incarcerated citizens for life outside prison? The Georgia Department of Corrections is taking a new approach. Last year, they opened the Metro Reentry Facility in Atlanta, which is believed to be the first transitional state prison for offenders slated for release within 18 months. Inmates receive intensive counseling, vocational training, and housing support, so they will leave with a job and a home. Jay Sanders, Assistant Commissioner of Inmate Services at the Georgia agency, said, “One of our goals is: Nobody is released to homelessness.”

How can we create similar services for Charlotte’s incarcerated population? Thankfully, we have organizations that are committed to helping people facing homelessness. Charlotte Family Housing helps struggling families find housing. “It has been successful; 98% of the families that we track after they leave the program have maintained stable housing,” said Elizabeth Kurtz, GCAA Member and Executive Director of Charlotte Family Housing. One of their biggest obstacles is recruiting new rental housing providers and rentals for their clients. It’s essential that Charlotte leaders concentrate their efforts on supporting organizations focused on housing affordability for all citizens, specifically formally incarcerated and homeless individuals. It takes a village to care for the less fortunate.