Homelessness and rough sleeping: are Welsh prison leavers at greater risk?
The Welsh Affairs Committee examines the quality and availability of housing for prison leavers as it continues its inquiry into Prisons in Wales.
Many prisoners face significant problems accessing housing when they leave custody. The Committee has heard first-hand from prisoners in HMP Cardiff that accommodation can be unsuitable for those in recovery from alcohol and substance misuse, short-term or even nonexistent. This was also highlighted in a 2023 inspection of HMP Swansea, which found that a third of prisoners were either homeless or in transient accommodation on their first night of release.
Meeting details
As part of the Committee’s inquiry, the Director of Criminal Justice and Women’s Services Development at the St Giles Trust told the Committee in March that poor quality accommodation could return prison leavers to “environments that make them additionally vulnerable.”
MPs are likely to ask witnesses about the issues those leaving prison in Wales face when they try to secure accommodation, what kind of support is available, and whether the quality of available housing means it is unsuitable for rehabilitation.
They may also ask whether initiatives introduced since 2019 – such as expanding the number of Housing Advisors – have improved the situation, and whether some prisons and local authorities are more successful in finding suitable housing for leavers than others.