Safe accommodation for women leaving prison?

Brighton Women’s Centre (BWC) published a Commonweal-funded feasibility study outlining a trauma-informed, women-only accommodation model for women leaving prison.  

Post-custody housing for women has become a serious challenge. A lack of available stock, and a lack of existing women-only stock, means support services are on the back foot immediately, and women in desperate need of stability do not get it. An alarming number of women are released into rough sleeping or housing insecurity – as the report references, ‘just under half (47%) of women left prison with settled accommodation in the year to March 2024’. 

The system, as the report makes clear, has several in-built challenges to overcome. Referrals, particularly after short sentences, regularly arrive late, meaning that local authorities or providers have very little to source appropriate housing options. There is often high turnover amongst probation teams, meaning too few prisoners get the chance to build a trusting relationship with their officer. Offers of accommodation too far away from family or friends often get rejected (often without the women realising she may be treated as intentionally homeless and have support withdrawn), which can mean eventual breaches of probation and recall.  

Local authority housing teams are overwhelmed more generally, and the variance of referral systems from area to area led one case worker to say that ‘a lot of the job is making sure things have been done’. There are, in these cases, a lot of bodies requiring effective coordination – which too often does not, or cannot, happen.  

Solutions 

The report highlights the urgent need for safe, transitional housing for women exiting prison into homelessness, advocating for the delivery of this service as a local housing solution for those leaving custody and returning to Sussex. 

It also details best practice of post-custody housing models around the UK – including the the Hope Street residential project run by One Small Thing in Hampshire, the now-closed 218 Service in Glasgow, and Jasmine Mothers’ Recovery in Plymouth.  

It also details what makes these models work – immediate coordinated, multi-agency support with partnership working - ‘making sure everyone is linked up’ in the words of one interviewed caseworker, ‘we all have her release date in our diaries...’ in the words of another. An example of this would be the local authority making a homelessness prevention officer available to prisons – which was praised by case workers.  

Immediate accommodation – such as the model proposes – also allows for information gaps about the individual to be filled in. Referrals are often affected by missing or out of date information, making it harder for services to accurately gauge needs. Ultimately, services that work have the requisite anticipation of need, and the time and space to allow for advancement and effective support. BWC are one such example, and their model (and a diagnosis of the system) can be read here: 

Safe Accommodation for Women Leaving Prison.pdf

Download PDF • 753KB

The approach

Commonweal is pleased to have funded and supported BWC’s work as part of the Call for New Ideas: Criminal Justice programme that ran in 2023. The study – conducted in partnership with BWC and Homeless Link across March and July 2024 – draws on interviews with women with lived experience, focus groups with practitioners, and a review of existing provision. This mixed-methods approach confirms that supportive, women-only accommodation is both essential and deliverable.  

The proposed housing model

The project seeks to provide a “breathing space” for women at a critical moment: immediately upon release, before transitioning to move-on housing and longer-term stability. 

BWC envisages utilising 4 to 5 self-contained (or semi-equipped) units in a property with communal space and secure staff presence. Under the model, women will receive tailored, trauma-informed support that is co-produced with BWC caseworkers, designed to address needs such as housing, domestic abuse and sexual violence. 

The support focuses on helping women manage trauma responses and navigate complex systems such as benefits, probation, and children’s services. Women are expected to stay in the project for a period of 6 to 12 months and will receive support for at least three months post-move-on to help them maintain stable housing. 

The study evaluated two potential models for operating the project and concluded that a partnership model is more feasible and sustainable in the long term. In practice, an organisation like BWC would collaborate with a registered social housing provider. The local housing provider would supply the property and fulfil its usual role as a social landlord, while BWC would manage referrals and offer tailored support for women. 

Next steps   

BWC is now calling on government bodies, local authorities, housing providers, funders and community stakeholders to:  

• Support the establishment of a pilot scheme based on the report’s recommendations.  

• Recognise the vital importance of safe housing for women as a critical component of resettlement, rehabilitation and preventing or reducing further reoffending in local and national housing strategies and commissioning.  

Lisa Dando, Director of Brighton Women’s Centre, said: “As this study shows, providing safe, trauma-aware housing for women leaving prison is not only a moral imperative – it’s entirely practical. Now, with this information, we much look to the future of accommodation for women leaving prison and work together with local councils and institutions to make this a reality.”  

The report was launched at a recent roundtable hosted by Brighton Women’s Centre and supported by Commonweal. The session, chaired by Councillor Bella Sankey, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, was attended by stakeholders engaged in supporting women in the criminal justice system. 

Fraser Maclean, Policy and Communications Manager at Commonweal, said: “The challenges women face when leaving prison have long been a focus of Commonweal’s work to find housing solutions. Women often receive short-term sentences for low-level offences, which, as research shows, leads to detrimental impacts like higher rates of homelessness and reoffending. The housing model presented by BWC, which addresses women's individual needs and supports their return to local areas, is vital for successful reintegration and reducing reoffending risks."