- Surveys indicate 30% of people released from prison will have nowhere to live.592 This is despite the fact that stable accommodation can reduce reoffending by over 20%.

- The Revolving Doors Agency found that 49% of prisoners with mental health problems had no fixed address on leaving prison. Of those who had a secure tenancy before going to prison, 40% lost it on release.

- A lack of accommodation can also severely hinder former prisoners’ chances of finding employment. Almost one quarter of employers would not consider employing a homeless person.

- Getting ex-prisoners into stable housing can act as a gateway to effective resettlement. Home Office research has found that prisoners who have accommodation arranged on release are four times more likely to have employment, education or training arranged than those who do not have accommodation in place.

- A survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development showed that people with a criminal record are part of the ‘core jobless group’ that more than 60% of employers deliberately exclude when recruiting.

- Breaking the circle, published in 2002, is the Home Office’s consultation on important amendments to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974). To date these proposals have not been carried forward in legislation.