Grants worth up to £10,000 available to improve prison leavers' housing

Criminal justice charities are being urged to apply for a funding scheme to improve housing for prison leavers.

The funding scheme is being launched by social justice charity Commonweal Housing to test “housing based solutions tackling injustices facing individuals in contact with the criminal justice system”.

The funding is to test the viability of projects, which could eventually lead to pilot schemes.

Applications are open from this week until 29 September.

Funding of between £5,000 and £10,000 is available to carry out a feasibility study, which Commonweal said “will determine if there is scope for the proposed model to operate as a property-based pilot project, which Commonweal would look to support by providing bespoke property for successful applicants to run their pilot over several years”.

“The charity would support partners throughout the project development stage until the end of its life cycle, including sharing learnings through media and policy work, and project replication,” it added.

Commonweal Housing deputy chief executive Amy Doyle said: “For individuals involved in the criminal justice system, access to safe and stable housing helps lay the foundations for a new life by significantly reducing the rate of reoffending.

“Although, a multitude of barriers prevent prison leavers from accessing the housing support they desperately need to move on with their lives.

“At Commonweal, we have a long history of using our charitable resources to scratch beneath the surface to explore creative ways housing can address social injustice and inequalities.

“From initial lightbulb ideas to more developed initiatives, we want to hear from forward-thinking frontline organisations keen to test and trail how housing can address issues within the criminal justice system.”