Reentry partnership housing: Council of Accountability Court Judges of Georgia, Georgia DCA, State of Georgia Department of Corrections : a collaboration of state agencies to provide housing to returning citizens

CONTACT US: 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. S.E.
Balcony Level, Suite 458 Atlanta, GA 30334-4909
Email: housing@dcs.ga.gov
More information on the application process may be viewed at:
https://sites.google.com/a/dcs.ga.gov /housing/provider-info

Our Mission
As an integral part of the criminal justice system, we protect and serve all Georgia citizens through effective and efficient offender supervision in our communities, while providing opportunities for successful outcomes.
Why is housing so important?
A common obstacle to successful reentry is the lack of stable housing. For offenders, housing is a stabilizing force that provides a consistent base to access employment, treatment for mental health, or substance abuse disorders, and other support services.
Additionally, stable housing may help offenders restore connections with community resources, family, and positive social networks. Unfortunately, many are unable to secure safe and affordable housing and experience homelessness.
National data (2016) shows that nearly 50,000 people a year enter shelters directly after release from correctional facilities, which creates a revolving door scenario between homelessness and incarceration. The Department of Community Supervision understands the importance of providing housing for this population.

REENTRY PARTNERSHIP
HOUSING
A COLLABORATION OF STATE AGENCIES TO PROVIDE HOUSING
TO RETURNING CITIZENS
CC C

Introduction
The Reentry Partnership Housing (RPH) Program is a means to provide housing to qualified individuals under the supervision of Department of Community Supervision (DCS). Certified Reentry Housing Partners provide stable housing and food to these individuals. The goal of the RPH Program is to provide short term housing assistance to help stabilize an individual's reentry process and enhance his or her ability to remain crime free.
The RPH Program involves a strong collaboration between DCS, Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC), Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), and the Georgia Council of Accountability Court Judges (CACJ).
The State of Georgia is experiencing an expensive and continuing problem finding appropriate housing options for certain offenders experiencing homelessness as well as finding housing for participants in accountability courts. Some offenders are eligible for release but cannot be released because they do not have an appropriate housing option so they remain incarcerated at great expense to the State or local

jurisdiction. The RPH Program also serves as an effort to enable certain offenders' participation in accountability courts when housing is an issue. Assistance provided by the RPH Program will be for up to six (6) months, as determined by the participants' tier level.
Who Can Participate
Individuals eligible for RPH include:
Persons who remain in prison after the Parole Board has authorized their release due solely to having no valid residence plan
Persons under DCS supervision who have been released from prison or jail in the last 120 day and have no residence options
Active participants in an accountability court (felony drug, mental health, veterans, or family treatment) who are homeless or are facing loss of housing within two weeks
The following individuals are not eligible for RPH:
offenders with registrable sex
offenses offenders with a primary mental
health diagnosis that is at a level IV or higher according to GDC
criteria

Information for New Providers
Application windows for prospective RPH providers occur twice yearly, in the fall and spring. Potential providers must submit an Intent to Apply Form and attend a mandatory Application Process Workshop prior to submitting an application during a 30-day application
window.
Implementation Timeline
July 2017 - Agency partners executed the new RPH agreement to include accountability courts
September 2017 - Window for potential RPH providers to submit a Letter of Intent
October 2017 - Mandatory trainings held throughout the state for potential housing
providers November 2017 - New provider
applications are submitted and evaluated, and applicants start to receive site visits December 2017 - All applications are processed, and site visits are
scheduled January 2018 - The RPH program
expansion is fully implemented, and providers are accepting referrals statewide