Increase Access in Safe, Dignified and Supportive Housing EXPO of Wisconsin
A ccording to the WI Department of Corrections (6/2/2023), there are currently 21,194 people in their care, and 95% of these individuals will eventually return to their communities. In that same report, 51,018 individuals are under state supervision and are already in our communities. A list of collateral consequences comes with involvement with the criminal legal system. At the top of that list is reduced access to safe, dignified, and supportive housing. To have better outcomes, healthier, safer communities, and break the generational cycle of incarcer- ation, we must consider changing our approach. Supporting individuals while they re-enter society and helping them with their basic needs sets these individuals up for tremendous success and can reduce their likelihood of re-entering the criminal legal system. One of the most fundamental needs that can be addressed is the need for all people to have access to a safe place to live. In 2018, the Prison Policy Initiative highlighted that formerly incarcerated people are ten times more likely to be homeless. Sending individuals back into their communities unhoused can create more obstacles for them and result in returning to an unsupportive or unsafe environment that does not promote the person’s ability to thrive. The Community Housing instability affects both formerly incarcerated individuals and their families. For instance, the Prison Policy Institute states that 80% of women in jail and 58% of women in prison are mothers. According to the Department of Corrections, 47.5% of incarcerated Wisconsin women are released with housing instability. A significant portion of these women are mothers. Incarcerated mothers are disproportionately affected by unreliable housing, and the limited access to safe and supportive housing will directly impact their children. The National Institute on Justice Journal found that chil- dren of incarcerated individuals are 6.5 times more likely to end up incarcerated themselves. The first step to breaking the generational impact of incarceration is to provide services that address the ba- sic needs of formerly incarcerated people re-entering their communities, such as providing reliable housing for themselves and their children.
12 | expowisconsin.org
17 Applegate Court , Suite 100, Madison, WI 53713
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