Want to keep people out of Idaho prisons? Affordable homes can help

In his State of the State address, Idaho Gov. Brad Little touted the importance of promoting public safety and reducing corrections spending by focusing on interventions to reduce recidivism — such as investments in treatment and job training for people on community supervision. However, one piece of the puzzle not mentioned was the role affordable homes play in public safety and addressing recidivism.

Everyone deserves to have access to an affordable and safe place to live, and we know that people with access to affordable homes experience better educational, health and socioeconomic outcomes. For people returning from incarceration, access to an affordable home is also key to ensuring successful reentry into their communities and reducing their risk of recidivism.

However, homes in Idaho are becoming more inaccessible as rent increases continue to outpace wage growth, and affordable homes are increasingly harder to find. Formerly incarcerated individuals are disproportionately affected by this market shift. Idaho’s rental market already needs at least 23,000 more rental homes priced affordably for very financially modest renters, and a criminal record virtually shuts out people from the few available options that do exist. For example, landlords can deny housing to individuals with criminal records and can leverage convictions or arrests to initiate eviction proceedings.

Lack of access to a home is closely associated with recidivism among formerly incarcerated people. Due to cost and access barriers, the national rates of homelessness for formerly incarcerated people far exceed the rates observed across the general population. Further, according to the Prison Policy Institute, people with multiple incarcerations are twice as likely to be homeless as those returning from their first prison term, and homelessness makes formerly incarcerated people more likely to be arrested and incarcerated again. As the housing market continues to tighten, affordable housing for formerly incarcerated individuals will become more difficult to find. As long as Idaho lacks affordable homes, we will struggle to curb the high costs connected to recidivism.

Affordable homes play a key role in ensuring formerly incarcerated Idahoans can return to their families, friends and communities successfully. In addition to the governor’s recommendations, policies and investments that promote the creation and accessibility to affordable homes are vital to ensuring Idaho is a safe and great place to live.

Idaho’s congressional delegation can help keep recidivism and incarceration costs down by supporting legislation that expands the National Housing Trust Fund’s ability to build and preserve affordable homes in Idaho, increases the number of Housing Choice Vouchers that make homes affordable, and increases resources to fight homelessness, such as the Evictions Crisis Act.

Our state lawmakers can focus on addressing barriers faced by formerly incarcerated people by focusing on housing support during reentry and improving renter protections.

Gov. Little’s sentiment that setting up individuals reentering our communities for success is an investment in public safety rings true. Both corrections spending and housing instability within Idaho are on the rise, and ensuring that formerly incarcerated individuals have access to safe and affordable homes can help to address both.