On 
April 28th 2020, the Center for Evidence-based Solutions to Homelessness convened experts from the fields of homeless services and criminal justice to discuss evidence on how people reentering society from jails and prisons can avoid homelessness. The topic reflects a recently published literature review authored by CESH experts Stephen Metraux and Dana Hunt.
To begin, Stephen Metraux, Associate Professor at the the University of Delaware’s Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, discussed the effectiveness of reentry programs in securing stable housing for reentering individuals.
Next, each of our panelists, specialists from the fields of homeless services and criminal justice, gave a brief presentation on reentry housing initiatives in their community. Panelists included:
- Corrin Buchanan, former deputy director of the Office of Diversion and Reentry, L.A. County
- Richard Cho, Ph.D., CEO of Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH)
- Toorjo Ghose, M.S.W., Ph.D., CEO of The Center for Carceral Communities (CCC) and associate professor at University of Pennsylvania
Finally, Dana Hunt moderated a panel discussion and participant question and answer session on:
- Factors critical to the success of reentry programs that averted homelessness.
- The implications of racial disparities in incarceration for reentry programs.
- Coordination strategies between the criminal justice system and the homeless services system.
- Supportive housing vs. other models for securing stable housing and access to behavioral health services.
- How reentry programs can serve those being released from jails and prisons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The webinar had over 550 participants from local and federal government agencies, housing non-profits, educational institutions, and research organizations.
Watch the full webinar:
Webinar slides can be downloaded here.