Prison-to-homelessness pipeline: Clark County’s housing costs push those leaving prison onto the streets, increasing recidivism

The Washington Department of Corrections rarely releases people directly into homelessness. But that hasn’t halted the prison-to-homelessness pipeline, especially in Clark County where housing costs are high and landlords have their pick of tenants.

Those leaving incarceration often stay with family or in transitional housing initially but then struggle to find permanent housing they can afford. With limited options for housing, as well as employment, people leaving prison may end up on the streets – further away from a second chance and closer to a return to crime.

“When you go into survival mode, what’s the goal? To survive, right? So they’re going to do whatever it takes, and it doesn’t always have to be legal,” said Lester Griffin, founder of the Vancouver nonprofit The Foundation, which helps those formerly incarcerated transition to life outside of a cell.

Nonprofits like Griffin’s step in when the Department of Corrections steps out – but they struggle to connect with people who fall into homelessness. Griffin said the key is working with the Department of Corrections to intervene soon after people are released from prison.

“You’re hit with high rental costs and all these other different things that come with coming home. Everything comes at you so fast,” Griffin said.

Difficult transition

People in prison often lose the housing they had before they were incarcerated, either due to eviction or foreclosure, Griffin said. Many also lose their safety nets while spending time behind bars.

Washington prisons don’t often release inmates directly into homelessness, according to Department of Corrections staff. Some sentences even require community supervision and an address for someone to go to before they can be released.

For others, including those leaving the Clark County Jail, homelessness – and thus, recidivism – is a looming threat.

Even people leaving prison to housing can struggle with the transition back to society.

“Because when you’ve been locked up for so long and you’re coming back, some people are like: ‘How do I even cook a meal? How do I grocery shop? How do I live on a budget? How do I find the right kind of housing?’” Griffin said. “Everything happens so fast.”

Clark County, like many places in Washington, lacks transitional housing for people exiting prison with built-in services to help people adjust to their new lives.

The loss of Clark County’s work-release program has left a hole in transitional services for those leaving incarceration, said Jahea Lecouris, founder of Restored and Revived. The nonprofit helps people, especially women, coming out of prison.

The work-release program closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the lower-security inmates who were eligible were no longer being kept in the jail.

“That is part of the solution, figuring out stability and allowing people the opportunity for that. So many people are getting out (of jail) but then going back because it’s so hard to get that initial foundation,” Lecouris said.

Restored Transitional Complex

The cycle is also accelerated by the lack of housing for people with records. The Foundation hopes to help fill that gap by opening up its own housing for people exiting prison in the coming months.

A series of brick buildings owned by the Vancouver Housing Authority in Vancouver’s Fourth Plain Village neighborhood will soon become the Restored Transitional Complex. Staff from The Foundation will operate the housing and help residents connect to employment and social services.

Residents will also participate in restorative justice circles, where victims, perpetrators and people who have never been affected by crime tell their stories. The complex will also offer financial literacy classes.

People will stay for six months to a year with rent paid for, in part, by the Department of Corrections.

Although Clark County has some housing for people exiting prison, not many have on-site services needed to help someone adjust to life after prison. Griffin already has a waitlist of people in and out of prison waiting for a spot, he said.

“This gives you the time to be able to slow down and collect your thoughts. You’re not diving into the rat race alongside everyone else,” he said.

Neighbors of the complex expressed concern to Griffin at a recent listening session. Some seemed reassured to learn the complex will not allow sex offenders, he said.

Griffin hopes that the Restored Transitional Complex will help reduce the recidivism rate in Clark County. According to research from the Prison Policy Initiative, formerly incarcerated people are nearly 10 times more likely to experience homelessness compared with the general population.

“Not having somewhere stable to go plays a huge part in recidivism,” Griffin said. “This is a better way to help somebody coming home from prison not be one of the statistics that ended up becoming homeless.”

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