Second chance

First home | Second chance An evaluation into the effects of housing on re-offending

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A joint vision. I first discovered Vision Housing five years ago. It had been set up by Annys Darkwa when she was a serving prisoner in HMP East Sutton Park – to provide housing and on-going support to ex-offenders. When we first met, it was obvious that she was passionate about helping others turn around their lives, like she had her own. We set up a board of trustees and I became chair. At the time, she was housing people from the back of her car with little more than a mobile phone. We have come a long way since then. We have now housed and are supporting over 700 vulnerable people. Many of these have an offending background and have led chaotic lives. I have seen them get decent homes and a realistic chance. We could see we were making a difference but couldn’t prove it. This is where Manchester Metropolitan University came in. I have worked closely with them on this evaluation report, which is summarised here. This is an extremely important piece of work. It is the first UK study to prove a link between housing and a reduction in offending. The fact that it has been achieved by ex-offenders, on a shoe-string, makes it all the more impressive. I thank Interserve for their support in making this happen. Adrian Gains | Chair | Vision Housing

The principles of evidence based service design are widely understood and accepted as best practise in all world class operations. In the delivery of rehabilitation services, where the complexity of needs can be high, and resources to meet those needs increasingly scarce, understanding what works has never been more important. Which is why I was surprised at the dearth of research and evidence in the field of housing and its effects on reducing re-offending. This seemed to be a significant gap, given the prominence of housing in most rehabilitation plans. Having a sound basis to predict outcomes in a world where payments will increasingly be linked to results is vital. Having recently worked with Vision Housing and Chris Fox on the development of a complex new Payments By Results service, the problems of assessing viability of service, price and outcomes was at the front of my mind. We are proud that Interserve has been able to support this research, as the imagination of Vision Housing combined with Chris Fox and his team’s research capability has enabled there to be genuine links drawn between housing and rehabilitation. We hope those reading it can use it to better inform their service designs and ultimately, to produce better social outcomes. Yvonne Thomas | Managing Director - Justice | Interserve

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An evaluation of the effect of housing on re-offending. Mark Ellison (Manchester Metropolitan University) Chris Fox (Manchester Metropolitan University) Adrian Gains (Vision Housing and Independent Operational Researcher) Gary Pollock (Manchester Metropolitan University)

Rates of re-offending in the UK are high both for people leaving prison and people on community sentences. It is estimated that over a third of adults who are discharged from custody or start a court order under probation supervision are reconvicted in one year. This rises to almost half for those serving custodial sentences and 57 per cent when the custodial sentence is less than one year in duration (Ministry of Justice statistics published in 2011). Across the UK, housing is regularly cited as a factor in re-offending both for offenders leaving prison and those serving some form of community sentence. However, there is only limited research on the potential link between housing and re-offending and even less on the impact specific housing initiatives have on reducing re-offending. This is the first study to prove and quantify the effect. The evaluation that follows used a similar approach to that used to evaluate the £12 million Metropolitan Police Diamond initiative – a pilot approach to Integrated Offender Management. This detected no impact in terms of reduced re-offending (Dawson and Stanko 2011). However, this evaluation was led by independent researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University with input from Adrian Gains who is Chair of Vision Housing and has an MSc and BSc in Operational Research and Statistics. The evaluation was funded, in part, by Interserve. A full research paper has been submitted to a peer reviewed journal. Vision Housing, set up in January 2007, is a London-based housing charity and social enterprise. They help ex-offenders get housing and on-going support on release from prison. Clients are referred to Vision with multiple problems, including debt, substance misuse, domestic violence, gangs and poor mental health. The first step is to get people off the street, into decent homes and out of trouble. They then put in place a tailored package of support.



Evaluation methodology.

This evaluation design compared expected re-offending rates after one year calculated using Offender Group Reconviction Scale (OGRS3) with actual re-offending rates after one year based on data from the Police National Computer (PNC). Specifically, re-offending was defined in line with the current Ministry of Justice definition used widely in re-offending statistics that it reports and ‘Payment by Results’ contracts that it has entered into. This definition is based on ‘proven re-offending’ defined as: “[A]ny offence committed in a one year follow-up period and receiving a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow up or a further six months waiting period.” (Ministry of Justice 2011: 3) This evaluation reports on the proven re-offending of 400 clients referred to Vision Housing from when it was formed in 2007 up until April 2011 and who had a previous conviction. Of this group approximately four fifths were male and a fifth female. Almost half were aged between 20 and 29. At the point they were referred these clients had an average predicted reconviction rate of 41 per cent.

“When someone leaves prison, we send them back onto the streets with 46 quid in their pockets. Back to the same streets. Back to the same groups of people. Back to the same chaotic life styles. Back to the same habits as before. So why are we surprised when so many commit crime all over again? It costs the economy at least £9.5 billion a year. It blights communities, and ruins lives. It is a national scandal.” Rt Hon Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Justice

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Key findings.

The following statistically significant effects were foundi:

• 9 per cent reduction in re-offending • 11 per cent reduction in re-offending (for those housed) • 11 per cent reduction in two year re-offending • 16 per cent reduction in re-offending for under-35’s • 21 per cent reduction in re-offending for more serious offences • 26 per cent reduction in re-offending rates for women Interestingly, there was also a reduction of 34% for clients referred direct from prisons but this was based on small numbers and was not statistically significant. We also found evidence that there was a greater reduction in re-offending for those clients that had a higher risk. Vision attributes this success down to five reasons. First, clients can be housed on the day of release from prison. Second, clients are moved away from their offending area. Third, clients are provided with decent accommodation in the private rented sector. Fourth, Visions is run by ex-offenders and can understand the issues their clients face. Finally, clients are provided with on-going support for as long as they want or need it.

Implications of this study. There is very little evidence in the UK on the impact of housing on recidivism. This study found evidence that there was an impact on recidivism due to housing and has been able to positively quantify this. The results of the current study should be of great interest to policy-makers and those delivering rehabilitative services to offenders. We conclude that Vision Housing, a small charity and social enterprise with limited grant funding and run by ex-offenders, has made a significant reduction in re-offending.

i. Based on one year re-offending rates for all clients referred to Vision unless mentioned otherwise



About us.

Vision Housing provides housing and support for vulnerable people. Our mission is simple: to prevent re-offending. Vision helps clients find suitable sustainable accommodation on the day of release from prison. People come to us at a very vulnerable stage in their lives and have no fixed abode. We move people away from their offending areas. We find them decent homes, provide advice, support their benefit applications and help reintegrate them back into our communities. We work with them for as long as they want or need it. We also provide on-going support to avoid the risk of offending, gain training, employment and break out of the poverty trap. Vision Housing is a thriving social enterprise, a company limited by guarantee, and a registered charity.

Interserve - at the forefront of intelligent solutions. Interserve is redefining the future for people and places. We are based in the UK and are listed in the FTSE 250 index with gross revenue of £2.3 billion and a workforce of over 50,000 people worldwide. However it is how we act, which we believe makes us the partner of choice in the justice sector. Delivering services in the justice sector is about more than just day-to-day services. It is about changing lives to enable better outcomes for our communities, and preventing future victims of crime. At a time when public finances are under unprecedented pressure, the private and public sectors must develop new ways of collaborating to improve the delivery of front-line services in affordable ways. This is why we share our customer’s goals, we mitigate their risk and we put their business needs at the heart of all we do.

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