Two-thirds of homeless ex-prisoners reoffend within a year.⠀
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Our government pays billions of dollars each year on policing, criminalizing, and incarcerating people.⠀
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But, after our sentence is finished they throw us out in the cold with no resources to survive. ⠀
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So many inmates get out just to be greeted with the streets. So many end up homeless, with nowhere to go. Getting a job now is so much harder, so how do we even get the money we need for housing?⠀
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It turns into a vicious cycle of doing crime and spending time. But, honestly what else is to be expected?⠀
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Formerly incarcerated people are 10 times more likely to be homeless than the average population. In 2019 it was concluded that 15% of people released from prison are homeless at some point during their first year of freedom. ⠀
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A Ministry of Justice survey in 2006 found that the reoffending rate falls to 47% among prisoners who have housing on release, but rises to 79% if they are homeless.⠀
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Everyday people are sent to prison for crimes they have committed. And when they are released they are expected to go and get their lives together. Yet, there is very little help out there for them. ⠀
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Just because these are criminals being released after serving their sentence, does not mean that they deserve no help. In fact they need all the help they can get so that they don’t have to resort to their old ways of living. ⠀
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Being released from prison, no matter how long or how little you’ve been inside is always going to be a difficult process. ⠀
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When being released it’s important to seek out help and support, it’s extremely hard on our own. And if you know anyone that has been newly released feel free to lend them a helping hand. Kindness never hurts. ⠀
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Have you ever struggled with homelessness?
