More becoming homeless after prison, charity warns

The number of people leaving prison in the Yorkshire and Humber region with no home to go to has gone up by 69% in the past year, data has revealed.

Ministry of Justice figures showed that while 940 prison leavers were released into homelessness in the region between April 2023 and April 2024, that increased to 1,585 in the same period in 2024-25, with four people a day finding themselves homeless after leaving prison.

Campbell Robb, from social justice charity Nacro, which runs services for people released from prison, said: "Leaving prison without a home is the terrible consequence of a broken system."

The Ministry of Justice said it aimed to halve homelessness among prison leavers by 2029.

Mr Robb, Nacro's chief executive, said the figures showed "further action" was needed, with the charity calling for more investment in local services to tackle the issue.

"Long-term joined-up support and housing are essential if we want people to rebuild their lives and reduce reoffending," he said.

"We will continue to work with government and all partners inside and outside prison to do what we can to try and ensure people get the support they need on release."

Jo Parnell, from the Archer Project homeless charity in Sheffield, highlighted "overcrowding in prisons" and the government's "early release scheme" as reasons for the rise.

The early release scheme was introduced in September 2024, allowing some inmates to be released after serving 40% of their fixed term sentence, rather than the usual 50%.

Ms Parnell explained: "The people that are coming out of prison, if they've served a sentence over six months then they will lose their tenancy if it's council or housing association.

"The majority of people we're supporting are either homeless before they go into prison, or serve longer than six months so will be released straight back to the street."

Ms Parnell added: "Fundamentally, there is not enough temporary accommodation.

"Priority from the council obviously goes to people who have families and small children. The majority of people that we support aren't in that position."

Ms Parnell said she also believed that the timing of release dates meant clients such as those with addictions were "set up to fail".

"Generally they're released at four o'clock on a Friday and there's no service provision over the weekend, so unfortunately they're straight back into the old community," she said.

"They're drawn straight back into that life where they haven't got any money, they haven't got any accommodation - and they have to do what they have to do in order to feed their addiction."

James, who has been supported by the Archer Project since being released from prison in 2022, said he was one of those who did not qualify for temporary accommodation, so he spent his first night after being released from prison in a park in Sheffield.

"I stopped in the field and I ended up there for a good six months or so because I won't sleep in town centre where there's drugs," he said.

"After nine o'clock at night, it's absolutely empty and it's a nice place, actually.

"The ground-keepers are really nice and there's a lady who's got a coffee stall who'd help me out with her coffee every morning."

James said that three years since being released from prison he was still "sofa surfing" with friends and hoping to find employment after having previously trained as a chef.

Meanwhile, Jonathan, who was released from prison in 2023 after serving a year for what he said were drug offences, explained that he had eventually secured temporary accommodation with Sheffield Council about 12 months after his release.

However, he admitted that the "uncertainty" over the last few years had affected his mental health.

"I've been through the mill. It's a constant worry, not knowing if the next step is going to be back on the streets," he said.

"It always seems to be a last minute decision. I was told there's somewhere in Bradford and then it was Barnsley. There's no certainty."

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "We know that homeless offenders are nearly 50% more likely to reoffend, which is why we provide up to 12 weeks of basic accommodation on release.

"We also have dedicated staff working with local councils and charities to support with follow-on accommodation to help meet our target of halving prison leaver homelessness by 2029 to make our streets safer."

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