Manchester to help up to 500 ex-prisoners by providing temporary housing

In Greater Manchester, it will be embedded within the variety of interconnected schemes aimed at reducing homelessness, ending the need for rough sleeping and reducing reoffending, as part of devolved and regional ways of working.

Bev Hughes, Greater Manchester’s deputy mayor for policing, crime, criminal justice and fire, said: “The drive to tackle homelessness across Greater Manchester will be aided greatly by this Community Accommodation Service, which should significantly improve the transition of prison-leavers back into our communities.

“We know that accommodation is a critical factor in reducing reoffending, with people 50% more likely to reoffend if they have nowhere safe to stay. In Greater Manchester we are determined to reduce homelessness and to minimise the risks of homelessness and criminal reoffending. With the implementation of the Community Accommodation Service, I am confident in this city region we will achieve just that reduction.”

The accommodation will be fully self-contained or en-suite. The maximum length of stay within the scheme will be 12 weeks, with the aim of securing safe and appropriate accommodation by this time.

This could be with friends or family, in further temporary or supported accommodation if required, or in a settled tenancy.

The scheme is backed by Ministry of Justice (MoJ) funding and will be implemented in the city region as a result of the powers devolved to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) through an enhanced arrangement with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), which allows for a bespoke regional approach.

The probation service will work with local authorities to access the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) private rent scheme – the Accommodation for Ex-Offenders scheme – which is being launched at the same time in the five regions. This funding will enable prison-leavers to move from their temporary accommodation provision into settled accommodation.

Paul Dennett, mayor of Salford and housing and homelessness lead at GMCA, said: “For too long we have heard stories of individuals living on the streets because, once they left custody, they had nowhere else to go. This is why it’s an important scheme, aligning MoJ, HMPPS, GMCA and our local authorities and other agencies to all work together to prevent homelessness once people leave prison.

“Innovative schemes already in place in Greater Manchester, such as A Bed Every Night, have been designed to address street homelessness. But now this Community Accommodation Service means there ought not to be a risk of homelessness for a prison-leaver.

“In 2021 no one should have to sleep outdoors, and in Greater Manchester we are working hard not just to end the need for rough sleeping, but to prevent all forms of homelessness through our new Greater Manchester Homelessness Prevention Strategy.”