Prisoners' Release: Housing
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners were in settled accommodation within three months of their release in each year since 2021.
Answered by Jake Richards
The information requested is published as part of the Offender Accommodation Outcome Statistics series. The most recent release was published on 31 July 2025 and covered the period to March 2025. The series can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-accommodation-outcome-statistics.
Through the National Plan to End Homelessness, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have committed to halving the proportion of people released homeless from prison and increasing the proportion in settled accommodation three months post release by the end of this Parliament. Statutory responsibility for homelessness sits with local authorities, who play a central role in supporting prison leavers by assessing housing need, working jointly with prisons and probation ahead of release, and helping secure appropriate accommodation. This joint approach is being strengthened through the expansion of pre-release panels, supported by Strategic Housing Specialists and Homelessness Prevention Teams, to improve access to the right accommodation pathways before release from custody.
We are committed to ensuring that robust pre-release plans are created for those leaving custody, so that accommodation needs are identified early and the right support is put in place. Dedicated Pre-Release Teams in prisons work closely with individuals to identify immediate needs, co-ordinate referrals to relevant services, and support continuity between custody and the community.
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