Just Housing: Women prospering after prison

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• Just Housing? Women prospering after prison
• Dr Shelley Mallett (MCM)
• Dr Marie Segrave (Monash University)
• Dr Bree Carlton (Monash University)
• Deborah Fewster (MCM)

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(No Transcript)
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Outline of the paper

• Context snapshot profile of female prisoners in
  Victoria
• Post release issues for female prisoners in
  Victoria
• Outline of Carinlea housing and support model
• Model evaluation early impressions

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Female prisoners in Victoria

• Growing population 84 increase between
  1998-2003
• 238 women in prison - June 30, 2008 -
• 450 women are discharged from Victorian prisons
  each year.
• 82 born in Australia
• Significant over-representation of Indigenous
  prisoners
• ( Dept of Justice, A Statistical Profile of the
  Vic Prison System 2003-04 to 2007-09)

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Profile

• 80 enter prison with drug or alcohol dependency
• majority have histories of sexual abuse, abuse as
  children and/or intimate partner violence
• high rates of mental illness (incl clinical
  depression, post-traumatic stress disorder,
  personality disorders and/or multiple
  disabilities)
• high rates of hepatitis and asthma
• Smart Justice Factsheet 7- Women in
  Prison Best Place for them?
• Request for a Systemic Review of
  Discrimination Against Women in Victorian Prisons
  
• March 2005 VCOSS FCLC

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Profile

• High rates of personal debt
• Low levels of formal education
• limited or no work skills
• 75 have primary care responsibility for
  children or other family members.
• Many are living in precarious housing prior to
  imprisonment

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Postrelease WISP New Clients 08/09

• 72 have children 54 of children were aged 10
  and under
• 42 of clients with children, have 1 or more
  child involved with DHS
• Support required
• 80 Accommodation
• 83 Drug and alcohol
• 54 Family Reunification
• 51 Social support
• 49 mental health (diagnosed MI 34 undiagnosed
  MI 15)
• 21 physical health
• 45 seeking employment
• 35 seeking access to education and training

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WISP New Clients 08/09 Housing tenure on release
from prison

• 5 Private rental
• 14 Public Housing (approved)
• 24 Transitional Housing
• 12 Crisis accommodation/ Rooming house/
  Boarding House
• 2 Supported accommodation
• 41 Other stable accommodation including
  family/friends

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Policy

• This population group requires commitment to
  strong policy that
• delivers equitable access to private rental
  housing
• earmarks more social housing for them and their
  children and
• increases the scale and range of properties
  available to them.
• a solid investment in support initiatives that
  help women to sustain their housing and make
  long-term exits from homelessness and social
  exclusion.

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Cairnlea - Womens housing and Support Model
(2006-)

• Service Partners
• Victorian Womens Housing Association (Property
  Development)
• Melbourne Citymission (Support Tenancy
  Support)
• Womens Housing ltd ( Propetry Management
  Tenancy management
• YWCA (formerly Tenancy Management)
• Funding
• Office of Housing
• John T Reid Charitable Trusts
• John Singleton Trust
• Ross Trust

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Model Design- Housing and Support (as needed)

• Phase 1
• Housing type, Tenure Quality
• 6 units at Cairnlea Estate in Deer Park
• Long-term, secure, ongoing tenancy (rent as a
  proportion of income)
• New houses in a developing area with access to
  schools, shops etc
• Support
• Indefinite Support in the form of access to
  support workers at MCM
• Facilitated access on request to WISP
• Facilitated access on request to Women 4 Work
• Eligibility
• Women who
• have exited prison (and their children),
• are 6- 12 months post release, NOT transitional
• are settled (to some degree) and able to assume
  responsibility independence

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Key assumptions of the model

• Women exiting prison often face multiple,
  interconnected challenges
• Some women benefit from long-term, safe and
  secure accommodation
• Some but not all women require varying levels of
  assistance to
• maintain their accommodation
• re-establish their connection to community (e.g
  EET, debt, social connection)
• negotiate experiences of stigma
• address their health and well-being issues
• Housing alone will not prevent recidivism and
  address social exclusion

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Aim

• In broad terms the Cairnlea model attempts to
• address social exclusion and promote social
  inclusion
• prevent return to custody by providing
• secure accommodation and thereby reduce risk of
  long-term homelessness
• improving womens transition from custody to the
  community through enhanced independent living
  skills

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Cairn lea Evaluation Monash University and
Melbourne Citymision

• Includes interviews with
• all residents,
• each residents nominated support person (i.e.
  formal and informal support).
• support workers
• Progress
• More than half the interviews are completed

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Early impressions

• Secure housing
• Location of houses
• Quality of housing
• No additional contract
• Flexible Support

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• Thanks to
• Sonia Chudiak (Manager, Justice program, MCM)
• Marnie Lyon (Project Officer, Justice Program)
• Janelle Thompson (Justice Program, MCM)