By Nadia Malik & Lara Pukatch
In DC and nationwide, homelessness and the criminal legal system are intrinsically linked. Individuals who are (or have been) involved with the criminal legal system are more likely to experience homelessness. At the same time, people experiencing homelessness are more likely than their housed peers to interact with the criminal legal system. This twin dynamic results in what some refer to as a homelessness-jail cycle. Understanding and disrupting this cycle is critical to ending homelessness, especially when we frame incarceration (and other interactions with the criminal legal system) as a root cause.
According to the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI), almost one-third of people experiencing homelessness in DC connect their experience of homelessness to their experience of incarceration. National research by the Urban Institute shows that when someone has been incarcerated one time, they are seven times more likely to experience homelessness. If someone has been incarcerated more than once, they are 13 times more likely to experience homelessness. Each year, almost 600,000 individuals released from a carceral institution face housing instability.
There are several reasons individuals who have been incarcerated are at high risk of homelessness and while everyone’s experience is different, there are several patterns that emerge in DC. Returning citizens often enter homelessness immediately upon release due to a lack of other options. Access to information, services, and housing support for returning citizens seems inconsistent. Despite clear links between these two systems, there is a lack of collaboration between the two sectors. In addition, resources available for people who are both experiencing homelessness and have had interactions with the criminal legal system are limited.
In addition to these challenges, once people have experience with the criminal legal system on their record it becomes more difficult to access jobs, housing, welfare benefits, and other resources. Some report difficulty getting records sealed or facing overt discrimination as they try to access housing.
As an organization that works to end chronic homelessness in DC, we are committed to recognizing and raising awareness about the inextricable links between the criminal legal system and homelessness. This is why we’re thrilled to share that the advocacy team at Miriam’s Kitchen has expanded our scope to include this work. So far, our commitment to this new portfolio has included:
• active membership of and partnership with the DC Crisis Response Coalition, which is working to limit police interactions with people in mental health crises and invest in a crisis response system that is trauma-informed, culturally competent, and in alignment with community safety and care.
• Collaboration with and support for the Decrim Poverty DC Coalition
• Learning tour with local partners and experts in this space, including the DC Justice Lab, DC Fiscal Policy Institute, Reentry Action Network (RAN) DC, and many homeless services providers who we are already in deep relationship with; and
• listening sessions with guests and local leaders with lived experience of homelessness and/or incarceration
This work is just beginning and we’re the first to admit, we have a lot to learn! If you have experience or expertise in this area, we would love to hear from you and for you to help inform and engage in decision-making about our work.
