May 28, 2025
People leaving incarceration often have significant mental and behavioral health conditions, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorder. These conditions can further complicate the already challenging reentry process and make it even more difficult for individuals to secure basic needs, especially housing. To help address this complex issue in Greensboro, NC, a diverse team from the housing, health, and criminal justice sectors came together to assess their community’s challenges, available services, and resource gaps. Supported by a Housing Solutions Lab catalyst grant, the partnership included a team with research, legal, and social work expertise from the University of North Carolina Greensboro Center for Housing and Community Studies (CHCS) and Guilford County.
The partners set out to 1) assess the local service environment for individuals reentering society after incarceration; 2) engage with housing providers, program administrators, and residents to better understand barriers and opportunities; 3) develop actionable recommendations to improve post-release coordination and service delivery.
Assessing service needs and gaps
The project began with an assessment of the local reentry services landscape, with a particular focus on housing. Using information compiled by the Center for Housing and Community Studies (CHCS), the Greensboro Housing Coalition, and the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department, the team conducted a robust inventory of available housing options for individuals leaving incarceration, including hotels, group homes, sober living facilities, supportive housing, and various forms of transitional housing. The assessment revealed that while short-term housing options were somewhat more available, access to long-term affordable housing was limited. To gain additional insights about housing needs and gaps, the team conducted twenty stakeholder interviews with local housing providers, county and community program administrators, and correctional officials. Respondents cited stigma against formerly incarcerated individuals, particularly those with mental health conditions, and a lack of supportive housing options as the major barriers for formerly incarcerated individuals to secure housing. Some landlords and housing providers indicated they would be more willing to rent to this population if they were confident that they had ongoing mental health support, such as medication, counseling, and case management.
To better understand the needs of those directly affected, the team also interviewed individuals preparing for release from incarceration. In addition to concerns with overall financial stability and health insurance, many worried that unstable housing situations would exacerbate their mental and behavioral health conditions and result in reincarceration.
Outcomes and challenges
Through this process, CHCS and the Guilford County partners developed a shared understanding of their local service environment and collectively identified unmet needs, key challenges, and opportunities to develop a more coordinated approach to reentry service provision. The project enabled the partners to take a more holistic view of their work and laid the foundation to develop more formal referral pathways between service providers, enhance public resource materials, and engage in productive dialogue with housing providers and landlords.
While the project helped establish new relationships and strengthened their collective understanding of local needs and services, the partners continue to face substantial challenges. This includes a shortage of supportive and affordable housing, fragmentation across reentry and support programs, and barriers to healthcare coverage. The team is currently sharing the findings with local and state reentry coalitions, housing authorities, and healthcare providers to work towards long-term strategies and solutions.
Key takeaways
- Pre-release service coordination and intensive case management between criminal justice, health, and housing programs are critical for successful community reentry, particularly for individuals with mental and behavioral health needs. Making referrals to service providers upon an individual’s release from incarceration does not ensure that individuals will seek care or that providers will be able to serve them. Proactive pre-release coordination with service providers and warm handoffs can help maintain continuity of care and facilitate reintegration.
- Formerly incarcerated individuals, especially those with mental health conditions, face significant stigma when seeking housing upon initial reentry into the community. Establishing partnerships between correctional agencies, community mental health stakeholders, and housing providers can help build trust, reduce stigma, and potentially open up housing options for people re-entering the community.
- In addition to more transitional and supportive housing, more funding is needed to provide the comprehensive pre-release planning, community-based services, and case management that this population needs to be successful in the community.
- Incarceration itself poses barriers to mental health and well-being. When possible, re-entry approaches should employ trauma-informed practices that recognize the lasting impact of incarceration and support healing and recovery. The reentry needs of women can be unique and may also require more targeted gender-responsive approaches.
Looking ahead
The partners will disseminate findings from this project to local stakeholders and examine new models for client referrals and follow-up that align with their current resource landscape. The team is also evaluating the potential for a peer mentoring model within local corrections and community-based organizations to help facilitate successful reentry. Additionally, the team will build on their dialogue with landlords, community agencies, and county programs to explore “second-chance” housing partnerships, aiming to connect formerly incarcerated individuals with stable housing and supportive services.
