Commonweal preparing post-custody housing pilot for women

Amidst an alarming spike of women being recalled to prison, and generally high reoffending rates, Commonweal is partnering with two charities to test housing models that provide a better re-introduction to the community.

Women make up a relatively small component of the UK’s prison population – around 3,700 women are in custody in the UK, compared to about 87,900 men.

This imbalance has led to women falling through gaps within the UK’s custodial and probation framework, which is (perhaps unsurprisingly, if inexcusably) framed with men in mind. Commonweal is close to beginning a two-part pilot seeking to:

• Reduce recall rates for young women after custody

• Improve provision and life outcomes for women who have committed offences

Current Challenges: Prison Recalls, Homelessness, Domestic Abuse

Women are being recalled to prison at a concerning rate:

‘There were 3,546 women in prison on 17 March 2025. In the year to September 2024 there were 2,603 recalls of women to custody, of which only 17% involved women facing further charges.’ (Prison Reform Trust)

Those statistics mean the number of annual recalls of women has grown by over 53% since 2018, despite the fact only a small proportion face any further charges, as mentioned above.

Housing insecurity plays a regrettably prominent role in many cases. Women in need of a stable arrangement to reintegrate into the community too often lack one. There is evidence that recall is driven far more by this insecurity – and the resultant technical breaches (missing probation appointments, a lack of engagement with services) – than further criminal behaviour.

Another challenge is poor communication between services such as prisons and probation, and unrealistic licence conditions. As Advance report, ‘(the) result is a cycle of disruption and re-imprisonment that damages progress, severs community ties, and increases the likelihood of long-term involvement in the CJS.’ The support services in the upcoming CWH pilots aim to close these gaps.

Another systemic challenge supports the experiences of women who have been arrested for domestic violence. Whilst women can be abusive in isolation, many cases involve women fighting back against abusive partners, but subsequently finding their access to shelters limited. These women often have a traumatic history, face homelessness and substance issues. It can be extremely hard to escape these circumstances and start anew.

Housing Solutions

To counter high recall rates and post-custodial homelessness for women, Commonweal is partnering with Advance and Women In Prison (with Housing for Women providing services across both partnerships) – to pilot supported housing models. The pilots will be focused on the critical transition period post-release. This is a high-risk point for women, especially younger women, who often experience homelessness, unstable relationships, or trauma-related relapse.

The pilot will be based in two clusters: Advance/Housing for Women (HfW) will utilise three properties in Newham to support young women at risk of recall, and Women in Prison (WIP)/HfW will utilise five/six properties in Lambeth to support women who come into contact with CJS due to domestic abuse and who are facing homelessness/rough sleeping.

Women in Prison will manage 5/6 properties in South London. The pilot will focus on women coming into contact with the police who are arrested due to domestic abuse, and who are facing homelessness or unsafe housing. They will be offered safe and supported accommodation alongside a specialist domestic abuse intervention. The project will provide women with a secure space to stabilise and access domestic abuse and wraparound support tailored to their needs. By combining housing with holistic domestic abuse and CJS-aware support, the model aims to reduce re-victimisation, prevent re-offending, and improve long-term outcomes.

Advance will manage 3 properties in East London. In those properties, they will be piloting a supported accommodation model for young women under 25 years old who are on probation, and at risk of recall, to meaningfully reduce recall and reoffending while increasing engagement with support services and improve long-term life outcomes by providing a stable foundation from which they can navigate reintegration to their community.

The core question we are seeking to answer is: Can the provision of gender-specific supported accommodation, as an alternative to a decision to recall when this feels inevitable, reduce the likelihood of reincarceration or reoffending for young women aged 18 to 24 years old (inclusive), and improve their engagement with services, wellbeing, and independence?

Commonweal is proud to be working with sector experts to support women on a path to housing security and a better life. A lot of the residents in this pilot will not have had access to such housing security and support provision before, and the team look forward to the full commencement of the project in the weeks ahead.