Housing advice for people leaving prison

Help before you leave prison

Most prisons have a housing advice and resettlement service called Through the Gate. The service is delivered by charities including:

• Shelter: Help with housing when you leave prison
• St Giles Trust

Probation hostels

Accommodation at the probation hostels are limited and are usually reserved for those who are considered high risk and are managed via Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) .

If you are not considered high-risk, it is unlikely that you will be referred to a probation hostel. In this case, you should get advice from your offender manager about your licence restrictions and ask them to make appropriate housing referrals for you.

Direct access hostels and supported accommodation

Supported housing providers offer specialist support to help you with living independently, help you resettle in the community, and also address the issues that may have led to your imprisonment. Varying levels of support can be provided, depending on the type of accommodation service and your needs.

You will usually need to be referred to supported accommodation, perhaps by your offender manager or housing officer within the prison. Some schemes operate a direct access service whereby you can apply directly yourself, but these are usually only accessible upon release and priority is given to people who are homeless on the day. Contact the homelessness unit of the local Council in the area where you wish to live for details of direct access schemes in their area.

Temporary accommodation

If you are applying for housing as a single, homeless person, it is likely that the council will have limited or no duty to provide you with temporary accommodation unless you are assessed as being in a priority group.

However it is still worth contacting the Council up to 56 days before your release, in case you are one of the few who will qualify for temporary accommodation. If you do not qualify, the Council will still provide information in the form of a Personal Housing Plan with advice aimed at helping you find accommodation. See Joining the housing register

Private rented accommodation

There are many different types of housing available to rent privately. You might be looking to rent a self-contained flat or house, or just a room.

For further information see our Guide to renting privately

Help with deposits

When you rent privately, you will usually have to pay a deposit and you may be able to get assistance with this from Fusion Housing's Resettlement into the Community (RIC) . The scheme aims to help people that have been released from prison or due to be released from prison to access private rented accommodation. It offers a Bond Guarantee (not upfront cash) to assist people who are in non-priority need. Their current bond limit is £375 or equivalent to one month's rent (whichever is lowest).

Applying for Council Housing in Kirklees

If you would like to rent a council, housing association or shared ownership property in Kirklees, you will need to apply to our housing register.

• You can find out about applying for council housing in Kirklees on our Joining the housing register section.
• Choose N Move advertises both council and housing association properties. You can also apply directly to some housing associations, which are listed in Applying for a housing association property.

Further guidance

• GOV.UK: Prisons and probation
• GOV.UK: Benefits and prison

Contact us

You can telephone or email us.