Michigan Prison Reentry Initiative Reentry Housing: Bring Them Home and Throw Away the Key

1
Michigan Prison Reentry Initiative Reentry
Housing Bring Them Home and Throw Away the Key

• Ryan Moser
• Corporation for Supportive Housing
• 50 Broadway, 17th Floor
• New York, NY 10004
• ryan.moser_at_csh.org

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Prison and Jail Re-entry Overview

• Approximately 2.1 million individuals are
  incarcerated in total in the U.S.
• 1.2 million in state and federal prisons
• Another 750,000 are incarcerated or detained each
  day in local and county jails
• Approximately 625,000 individuals are released
  from State and Federal prisons each year thats
  about 1,800 daily
• Estimated 4-6 times that amount from released
  from jails

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Incarceration Rates by State
Louisiana has the highest rate of incarceration
at 1,138 per 100,000 residents and Maine the
lowest, at 273.
4
New Orleans Prison Admissions, 2001
Source Council of State Governments Eastern
Regional Conference
5
Source John Jay College of Criminal Justice
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Service Needs of Incarcerated Populations

• Health and Infectious Disease
• 2.2 of state prison inmates have HIV-infection
  0.55 have AIDS diagnosis
• Hepatitis C infection rates of state prisoners
  estimated at 18
• 1-22 of state/federal inmates have TB infection
  about 700 reported to have active TB cases
• Substance Use
• 83 of State and Federal prisoners had histories
  of drug use and that 57 of them were using in
  the last month before their offense

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Service Needs of Incarcerated Populations,
continued

• Educational attainment
• 46 of jail inmates report not having completed
  high school
• 13.1 completed only 8th grade or less
• Foster care involvement
• 11.5 of jail inmates had lived in a foster home,
  agency, or institution
• Familial status/factors
• About 70 of women in local jails have young
  children
• 46.3 of jail inmates had a family member
  incarcerated
• 10.9 of jail inmates report being physically or
  sexually abused prior to age of 18 20.2 for
  female inmates
• 31 of inmates grew up with parental drug or
  alcohol use

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Service Needs of Incarcerated Populations,
continued

• Mental Illness
• 22 MI (NAEH, CSG)
• 16 are MI per DOJ (1999)
• 6 male SPMI, 12 SPMI Female (CCJ)
• ½ - ¾ of all Inmates Report MI Symptoms
• Approx. 700,000 adults with SMI enter jails each
  year
• 16 of state inmates reports mental illness
  (Twice as high as in the overall U.S. population)

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The Intersection of Mental Health and Corrections
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The Intersection of Mental Health and Corrections
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Homelessness among People Released from
Corrections

• 10 of incarcerated populations are homeless upon
  entry
• Nationally, about 54 of homeless persons in
  shelter report previous incarceration
• 49 report previous time in jail
• 18 report previous time in prison
• New York City
• 10-12 of parolees become homeless after release
• Over 30 of shelter users have previous jail
  stays
• California
• 10 of parolees are homeless
• In SF and LA, 30-50 of parolees are homeless

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Homelessness Increases Risk of Re-Incarceration

• Of the 5,520 state inmates released to New York
  City shelters, about 33 were re-incarcerated in
  two years
• Parole violators had re-incarceration rates of
  about 40
• Persons with mental illness had re-incarceration
  rates of 53
• Parolees released to NYC are 7x more likely to be
  rearrested in the first month out than those who
  had housing (Vera Institute, 2001)

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Understanding Post-Incarceration Housing Needs

• In addition to homelessness, housing needs are
  manifest also as
• Housing instability living in unsafe or
  unstable housing (e.g. motels, SROs, etc.)
• Couch surfing or doubling-up with family or
  contacts
• Gap between income and affordability cost of
  housing drives some to seek income from illegal
  means

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Michigan Prison Demographics(From MPRI May 2006
Status Report)

• Gender
• 96 Male
• 4 Female
• Ethnicity
• 52 Black
• 45 White
• 2 Hispanic
• lt1 Other
• Average Age
• 36 years

• Service Needs
• 25 show history of mental health issues
• 57 show history of drug and/or alcohol abuse

Combined Census (Prison and Camp) 49,377

• Nearly 31 of the prison population is past the
  potential earliest release date (ERD)
• 76 have been denied parole
• 24 have returned as violators (7.5 of total)

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Parolee and MPRI Target Population Characteristics

• Parolee and MPRI Target Population
  Characteristics
• The Michigan Department of Corrections paroled
  nearly 10,300 offenders to the community in
  calendar year 2005.
• Differences between Parolees and Larger Prison
  Population
• Parolees are more commonly serving sentences for
  drug and other nonviolent crimes, as well as
  comparatively shorter sentences.
• Though still small, the percentage of female
  parolees is somewhat higher than for prisoners.
• A history of mental health issues is less common
  for parolees.

Source MPRI Status Report May 2006 Data from
January December 2005
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The Effects of Incarceration and Barriers to
Reentry
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VariationSetting and Individual
Psychological Environment Threat of
DangerHyper-Vigilant Trust as Liability
Physical EnvironmentJail PrisonUrban MaximumR
ural Medium Minimum HousingGeneral
PopulationProtective CustodyAdministrative
SegregationSpecial Housing UnitsMental Health
Wards
Social Environment DOCs rules and
regulations Inmate Code Racial/Ethnic
associations Urban/Rural differences Gangs/Organiz
ations
Source The Clinical Impact of Doing Time,
Rotter, M., McQuistion, H.L, Broner, N.,
Steinbacher, M.
Gender
Trauma History
Character Disorder
Substance Use
Learning Disability
SPMI
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BehaviorExpectations and Survival Skills

• Inmate Code
• Do Your Own Time
• Mind Your Own Business
• Trust No One
• Show Respect
• Dont Stare
• Dont Steal
• Dont Snitch
• Dont Show Weakness
• Ignore Others Infractions

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Client Profile Masked Service Needs

• Masked Service Needs was enrolled in our
  discharge planning program on Rikers Island in
  October, 2005 and confirmed as FUSE eligible in
  October. The client presented with minor mental
  health needs that were being met by medication.
  The obstacle to housing was an active pattern of
  substance abuse. By February, the client had
  voluntarily entered a 28-day rehabilitation
  program and we were conducting inreach to prepare
  her for housing placement upon completion. She
  was placed in early March. The transition into
  housing was matched with intensive case
  management and multiple daily contacts as well as
  support from the mentors arranged by her recovery
  program.
• Within a period of days two concerns became
  evident. The first and most troubling were
  previously undiagnosed mental health support
  needs. This was followed by a substance abuse
  relapse.
• Unable to keep the client housed because it
  became clear that although relapse was
  manageable, the we could not provide the
  intensive mental health support needed.

• Systems Usage
• Medicaid
• Public Assistance
• Emergency Psychiatric Services
• Substance Abuse Program

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Post-Incarceration Barriers to Housing

• Discharge planning is often inadequate and not
  housing focused
• Cost of housing far exceeds most discharged
  individuals income/earning potential
• Legal and illegal discrimination (criminal
  record, mental illness, substance use,
  homelessness, poverty, race)
• PHAs use of One Strike and Youre Out
  regulations exclude ex-offenders public housing
  and Section 8 assistance
• People discharged from corrections are not
  considered homeless and are ineligible for
  federal homeless assistance
• Difficulty and delay with accessing benefits and
  entitlements, only emergency medical or mental
  health service
• Post traumatic stress disorder or other emotional
  difficulties

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The Cost of the Status Quo

• Culhane, Metraux and Hadley (2003) documented
  that supportive housing tenants each used an
  average of 40,000 per year in public emergency
  systems
• Individuals cycle between jails, shelters,
  emergency rooms, and services at high costs
  (Gladwells Million Dollar Murray, 2006)
• In 1982, national spending on law enforcement was
  less than 36 billion. This increased 417
  (185.5 billion) by 2003.
• This would support 10.3 million units of
  supportive housing annually.

• Reinvestment Client Profile Incarcerated with
  SPMI
• 3758 days of hospital over 21 years _at_ 400/day
• 1,503,200
• 399 days of jail time over 6 years _at_ 70 a day
• 27,930
• 1,531,130 Total Cost
• 72,910 Annual Cost
• Does not include private hospital, treatment,
  court or arrest costs.

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The Good News There are Alternatives
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Aligning Systems
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Fractured Systems
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Aligning Multiple Systems for Better Results
Criminal Justice DOC PAROLE PROBATION Bridge
Rental Support Client Identification Transition
al Case Management
Housing HUD HPD Public Housing
Authorities Section 8 Shelter Care
Social Services Shelter Plus Care Service
Contracting through Criminal Justice/Human
Service Agencies
Health and Behavioral Health Mental Health
Support Services Housing Support ACT Teams
Employment EmploymentInitiatives both
Federaland Local DOL CEO
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Breaking Down the Reentry Population to Target
Effectively

• Housing needs among people released from prison
  may fall within three categories
• Individuals who are able-bodied and employable,
  who face an income/affordability gap also may
  need short-term assistance with community
  reintegration
• Individuals with limited employment history and
  educational achievement, and who may have
  substance abuse, health or mental health
  challenges
• Individuals with disabilities such as serious
  mental illness and chronic health and substance
  abuse issues who will need longer-term services
• Focus on people who are inappropriately or overly
  incarcerated or institutionalized
• (Homeless) parolees with high risk of violation
• Frequent flyers
• Street homeless individuals with active substance
  use
• Mentally ill individuals that could benefit from
  an alternative to incarceration

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Integrating Corrections with Supportive Housing

• Provide bridge rental assistance for returning
  inmates during re-entry phase (e.g. parole
  term)
• Fund prison- or jail-based in-reach services to
  assess, recruit and facilitate referrals to
  supportive housing
• Enhance case management services in existing
  units of supportive housing
• Capitalize operating and social services reserves
  to buy set-aside units for re-entering
  individuals in new mixed tenancy supportive
  housing developments

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One Model for Financing Re-entry Supportive
Housing

• Capital
• Existing affordable and supportive housing
  development sources (Housing Trust Funds, HOME,
  bond financing)
• Operating
• Criminal justice funding bridge rental
  assistance
• Other operating subsidy/rental assistance stream
  to take-out bridge subsidy
• Social services
• Criminal justice funding for supplemental or
  stand-alone supports
• Existing service streams from human service
  systems (mental health, substance abuse, TANF,
  Medicaid, etc.)

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Reentry Housing Models
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What is Reentry Supportive Housing?

• Affordable housing linked to flexible, accessible
  supportive services that help people live more
  stable, productive lives.
• Tenant pays no more than 30-50 of household
  income towards rent, and ideally no more than
  30, and has individual lease or similar
  agreement.
• There is a working partnership that includes
  ongoing communication between supportive services
  providers, property owners or managers, and/or
  housing subsidy programs.

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Range of Supportive Housing Models

• Apartment or single-room occupancy (SRO)
  buildings, townhouses, or single-family homes
  that exclusively house formerly homeless
  individuals and/or families.
• Apartment or SRO buildings, or townhouses that
  mix special-needs housing with general affordable
  housing.
• Rent-subsidized apartments leased in the open
  market.
• Long-term set asides of units within privately
  owned buildings.

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Client Profile Placement Anxiety

• Placement Anxiety was attending our East New York
  Day Program three to four days weekly and
  receiving transitional mental health services
  when she was identified as FUSE eligible. She
  was in recovery with a stable history of
  sobriety. She was in residence at a transitional
  SRO reentry housing program but was in danger of
  being put out due to ongoing difficulties with
  the staff. The client attended a NYCHA interview
  and we attempted to move her into the housing in
  anticipation of her approval.
• There was a high level of concern about the
  quality of the housing, size of the bedroom, and
  access to facilities. We set up a housing
  interview with the residents of Sunflower House
  and after the interview she expressed an
  eagerness to move.
• On move-in day, the client refused services. She
  gave back the keys to the apartment and
  disengaged from all WPA services. She reason she
  gave for refusing services was that her
  grandchildren would not be able to live with her
  on a full-time basis.

• Systems Usage
• Medicaid
• Public Assistance
• Transitional Housing Program
• Medical Health Services
• SSI

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Adapting Supportive Housing for Criminal
Justice-Involved People

• Broader eligibility and minimal entry criteria
  (clean-time requirements, benefits and
  entitlements in place, etc.)
• Dedicated or set-aside units for referrals from
  prison/jail
• Locating with emergency housing units to enhance
  client engagement
• Targeted in-reach and engagement in
  prisons/jails to facilitate transition from
  incarceration to housing

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Challenges for Reentry Housing Service Providers
and Those Who Work with Them

• Prepare providers for intensive recruitment
  including consistent contact through placement
  and jail or prison in-reach.
• Encourage providers to dedicate staff and plan
  for high levels of client support during this
  critical time period.
• Help providers develop cultural competence and
  effective engagement techniques for this
  population.
• Encourage providers to connect with support
  services and develop staff for MH assessment.
• Ensure providers are well versed in navigating
  public benefits and health systems.
• Build provider knowledge about reentry employment
  strategies.
• Help providers build knowledge about criminal
  justice procedures and policies.
• Help providers build capacity with community
  outreach and NIMBY concerns as well as facility
  with challenging perceived barriers where
  possible and appropriate.

• Criminal-justice-involved Individuals (CJI) can
  be difficult to engage during incarceration and
  difficult to find after release.
• CJI are at a high risk of recidivism during from
  identification through the first 90 days of
  placement.
• CJI may be distrusting of providers and try to
  manipulate their services.
• CJI may have undiagnosed or untreated mental and
  other health needs.
• CJI may have complicated systems usage.
• CJI face specific additional employment barriers.
  
• CJI may face ongoing criminal justice compliance
  requirements.
• CJI may be ineligible for particular types of
  subsidies and funding or may face other
  restrictions that interfere with successful
  placement.

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The Fortune Societys Fortune Academy (The
Castle)

• Targeted tenancy Formerly incarcerated men and
  women, some people living with HIV/AIDS
• Model Emergency housing (18 beds) and Phase
  Permanent Supportive Housing (41 units)
• Funding
• Capital HHAP grant, LIHTC, Historic Tax Credits
• Operating HOPWA, HUD SHP
• Services HOPWA, existing agency services

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St. Leonards Houses St. Andrews Court

• Targeted tenancy Homeless men with histories of
  incarceration, leaving emergency housing
• Model Supportive housing, 42 studio apartments
• Funding
• Capital Illinois Housing Development Authority
  grant, 9 tax credits, FHLB AHP
• Operating/Social Services HUD McKinney Shelter
  Plus Care, IL DOC contract

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Womens Prison Associations Huntington House

• Targeted tenancy Homeless women and families
  with criminal justice histories
• Model Transitional Housing for single women and
  mothers w/ children (28 1- and 2-BR units)
• Funding
• Capital NYS HHAP
• Operating/Services NYC DHS

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Heritage Health and Housings MIX Program

• Targeted tenancy Parolees with SPMI
• Model Transitional Safe Space (6 beds) and
  Scattered-site Supportive Housing (18 apartments)
• Funding
• Capital None
• Operating/Services HUD SHP (Transitional) and
  NYS OMH Supported Housing (Scattered-site)

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The Bridge, Inc.s Iyana House

• Targeted tenancy Women released from state
  prison on parole with serious mental illness and
  histories of homelessness
• Model Permanent supportive housing with
  intensive supports 18 studios
• Funding
• Capital NYS Office of Mental Health bond
  financing
• Operating HUD McKinney-Vento Supportive Housing
  Program
• Services NYS Office of Mental Health net deficit
  financing

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NIMBY

• Not In My Back Yard

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Demonstration InitiativesRe-Investment
andPre-Investment
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Reinvestment Financing for Re-entry Housing

• Determine cost associated with preventable
  prison/jail use
• Structure housing and services initiative with
  projected recidivism reduction target
• Obtain private funding to prime the pump and
  achieve initial savings
• Invest savings into housing (i.e. operating and
  services)

44
Frequent Users of Jail and Shelter Initiative
(FUSE)

• DOC/DHS data match found over 1,100 individuals
  who have a minimum of 4 jail 4 shelter
  admissions during 2001-2005
• These individuals cycle constantly and
  persistently with relatively short stays per
  episode
• Potential annual cost savings (jail and shelter)
  for these top 25 users is over 10,000

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Initiative Funding and Resource

• 50 NYCHA Section 8 vouchers (project-based)
• 38 supportive housing unit set-asides, DOHMH
• 12 SRO Support Subsidy-funded supportive housing
  unit set-asides, DHS
• 650,000 from JEHT Foundation for service
  enhancements
• Supportive services funded through other existing
  service contracts

• 50 Single-site (Congregate) supportive housing
  with front-loaded intensive services
• 50 Scattered-site supportive housing with
  front-loaded intensive services

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Housing Retention Outcomes

• For the 55 clients included in the research
  sample (as of 11/14/06)
• 89 (49 of 55) of clients placed through FUSE
  have remained housed
• 94 (17 of 18) retention for clients placed
  within the last 90 days
• 91 (21 of 23) for clients placed between 90-180
  days ago
• 79 (11 of 14) placed more than 180 days ago
• As of 12/1/06
• 90 (55 of 61) of clients placed to date through
  FUSE have remained housed
• 95 (19 of 20) retention for clients placed
  within the last 90 days
• 88 (37 of 41) for clients placed between 90-180
  days ago
• 77 (14 of 18) for clients placed more than 180
  days ago with a maximum placement length of 379
  days

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Does FUSE change behavior?

• Of the 14 clients housed more than 180 days ago
• 2 were not technically eligible under current
  criteria
• Of the 12 eligible remaining clients housed more
  than 180 days ago
• 10 are still in housing (83.3)
• 9 have avoided any jail (75)
• All 12 avoided shelter (100)
• 11 exceeded their CTP (91.7)
• Of the 3 who were re-arrested
• 1 remained housed longer than CTP.
• 1 is no longer housed, and did not exceed their
  CTP
• 1 is still engaged with provider and currently
  hospitalized re-arrested 3 times with last
  intermittent period exceeding CTP

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Homeless Parolees Initiative

• Prevent and end homelessness among parolees in
  and at-risk of entering DHS shelters through
  adapted supportive housing model
• Reduce shelter, criminal justice, and other
  emergency public system utilization
• Create new operating-services funding stream
  funded through generation and reinvestment of
  public savings, esp. State corrections

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Target Population(s)

• Individuals released from NYS DOCS custody whose
  criminogenic risk is related to housing
  instability
• Parolees currently in DHS shelter system
• DHS shelter-bound individuals to be released on
  parole supervision
• Parole violators at DOC facilities awaiting
  determination

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New Parolees in DHS System
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Cost Savings Potential for Parole Violators in NY

• On average, parole violations result in 120 day
  prison stays (0.45 years)
• Preventing violations for 200-250 individuals
  would reduce state prison bed needs by 90-100
  beds
• Closing prison facility of 100 beds would save
  2.5-6 million that could be reinvested into a
  capitalized operating and service fund for
  supportive housing

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The Light at the End of the Tunnel

• When working with Reentry clients, it is
  important to consider the following.
• Consistent contact is the key to building trust
  and moving through reentry.
• Culturally competent services have a better
  chance of success.
• The critical time period surrounding transitions
  may require intensive support.
• A careful approach to navigating systems will
  reduce crises.
• An empowering approach that encourages clients to
  make decisions about their goals reduces
  dependency over the longer-term.
• With an appropriate intervention and careful
  approach, you can work with this population and
  you can find success.
• Ms. October
• Began process in October 2005 and was placed in
  November
• Has had no contact with the criminal justice
  system since placement
• Connected to stable case management and mental
  health services
• Currently attending college
• Reports feeling safe for the first time since
  childhood

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What Can You Do?

• Advocate
• Local, State, National
• Reentry Housing Roundtable
• Community Service Society Reentry Roundtable
• Establish agency policies that do not
  discriminate based upon criminal history and
  actively target reentry populations
• Document outcomes for clients with criminal
  justice involvement
• Participate in demonstration initiatives
  targeting correctional populations
• Educate yourself to build clinical skills for
  working with correction populations