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Homelessness and Parole

A SURVEY OF DENVER’S SHELTERS

Carol Peeples • Re-entry Coordinator • August 2009

1212 Mariposa St. Suite 6 Denver, CO 80204 303-825-0122

fax

303-825-0304

ccjrc.org

About this Report .........................................................................................................2

•Methodology•AcknowledgementsExecutiveSummary

......................................................................................................3

•Demographicinformationaboutparoleesinterviewed•Findingsfrominterviewswithparolees•Findingsfrompoint-in-timecount•Findingsfrominterviewswithshelterproviders•RecommendationsInterviewswithHomelessParolees

.............................................................................6

•Demographicinformation•Lengthofincarcerationandtimesincerelease•Lengthoftimehomeless•Paroleofce,statusofrelease,andcountyofconviction•Preparationforre-entry•Parolinghomeless•Transitionalhousingopportunities•Assistance•Helpfulnessofparoleofcers•Employment•Parole-relatedexpenses•Homelessandonparole:intheirownwords•BiggestchallengebeinghomelessandonparolePoint-in-TimeCount

...................................................................................................14

InterviewswithShelterStaff

........................................................................................15

•Changeinacceptingparolees•Mosthaveexperiencedincreaseinparolees•Needsofparolees/impactuponshelters•Abilityofshelterstomeetparolees’needs•Relationshipbetweensheltersandparoleofcers/re-entrypersonnelRecommendations

.....................................................................................................18

Inconclusion

..............................................................................................................25

Additional copies o this report are available at ccjrc.org.

Table of Contents

About this Report

Inthespringof2007,ThePitonFoundationreleasedareportindicatingaquarterofthepeopleonparoleintheDenvermetroarearesidedeitherinhomelesssheltersorothertemporaryhousing.ThePitonreportwasbasedonananalysisofdataobtainedfromtheDepartmentofCorrectionsaswellasadditionalresearchconductedbyThePitonFoundation.

Inaddition,anumberofshelterprovidersinDenverrecentlyindicatedaperceivedincreaseinthenumberofhomelessparoleesinDenver’semergencyshelters.TheDepartmentofCorrectionshasnothistoricallytrackedthespecicnumberofparoleeswhohavebeenreleasedhomeless,soitisnotpossibletodeterminewhethertherehasbeenanincreaseinhomelessnessamongparoleesovertime.However,wehavebeenadvisedtheDepartment’sDivisionofAdultParole,CommunityCorrections,andYOSrecentlybegankeepingstatisticsonthenumberofhomelessparoleeseachparoleofcesupervises.

Becauseofthegapininformationabouthomelessparolees,CCJRCdecidedtoconductthissurveyinordertobetterunderstandthedriversofhomelessnessamongparoleesandtheexperiencesofbothhomelessparoleesandshelterproviders.Whileisitpossibleforsomepeopletoleaveprisonhomelesswhoarenotonparole,thissurveyfocusesonlyonhomelessparolees.

Methodology

Itwasnotpossibletoincludeeverylocationwherehomelessparoleesaretemporarilyplaced,suchasprivateboardinghousesandmotels,inthissurvey.Thus,CCJRCconnedthescopeofthisreporttotheeightmajoremergencyovernightsheltersinDenver.FromDecember2008throughFebruary2009,CCJRCinterviewed48homelessparoleesinsevenoftheseeightshelters.Interviewswereconductedinthesheltersatnightafterdinner,andparticipationwasvoluntary.The60-questioninterviewtookfromonehalftoonehourperpersontoconduct.

Inmostshelters,staffpublicizedthesurveyusingayersuppliedbyCCJRC.Participantsreceivedacopyof

Getting On Ater Getting Out: A Re-entry Guide or Colorado

aswellasa$10giftcardtoKingSoopers.Incollaborationwithshelterstaff,CCJRCalsocon-ductedapoint-in-timecounttheeveningofFebru-ary25,2009,attheeightsheltersincludedinthissurvey.Thecountincludedboththetotalnumberofpeopleinthesheltersandthenumberofpeopleknowntobeonparole.ThesheltersincludedinthiscountaretheeightmajoremergencysheltersinDenver.Threeacceptonlywomenandtherestacceptmen,althoughwomenmaybeacceptedinprograms/housingotherthantheshelters’emer-gencyhousing.TheeightparticipatingsheltersareBrandonCenter,Crossroads,DeloresProject,DenverRescueMission,newgenesis,SamaritanHouse,Step13,andTheodoraHouse.ThethirdpartofCCJRC’shomelessparoleesurveyinvolvedpersonalinterviewswithprogramdirec-tors,coordinators,andprojectmanagerswhoworkedintheshelters.Theseinterviewswereconductedpersonallyorbyemail,andinsomecasesmorethanonestaffmemberfromashelterwasinterviewed.Theinterviewswithparoleesandshelterem-ployees,aswellasthepoint-in-timecount,wereconductedbyCarolPeeples,re-entrycoordinatorforCCJRC.

1 CCJRC sta assisted with The Piton Foundation’s study. The ull report is in the spring 2007 issue o

ThePitonPerspective

and available online at http://www.piton.org/Documents/ThePITONperspctive Spring07_5-24.pd.2 This data is not released on an ocial basis by the Department’s Oce o Planning and Analysis, but it is available upon request rom the Department’s Division o Adult Parole. 3 People who leave prison without parole supervision may have been incarcerated or a crime committed beore July 1, 1993, and arethereore eligible to discharge rom prison without mandatory parole, or they may have been revoked while on parole and returned to prison where they nished their mandatory parole sentence while incarcerated. People who discharge rom prison are not eligible or services rom parole oces or transition specialists.4 The survey instrument is available upon request rom CCJRC. 5

GettingOnAfterGettingOut

is a re-entry guide written and distributed by CCJRC. From late 2007 through 2009, CCJRC provided almost 25,000 copies or ree to people in prison and on parole. Due to generous support rom the Daniels Fund, CCJRC was alsoable to provide an additional 1,000 copies to homeless shelters or distribution to their clients on parole.