A growing number of people are leaving prisons in northern ireland without accommodation, a situation experts warn fuels a higher chance of reoffending and complicates rehabilitation efforts.
A growing number of people leaving prison in Northern Ireland are released with nowhere stable to live, official figures show — a gap that threatens rehabilitation efforts and could increase risks to public safety.
What the figures show
Across recent custodial records, the pattern is strikingly consistent.
In one reporting period Maghaberry recorded 355 of 2,072 releases (about 17%) as leaving with no fixed address; Magilligan logged 37 of 357 (roughly 10%); and Hydebank 47 of 470 (around 13%). In a second period the proportions were similar: Maghaberry 379 of 2,369 releases (about 16%), Magilligan 61 of 478 (around 13%), and Hydebank 60 of 465 (about 13%).
That repetition across prisons and reporting windows points to a systemic problem, not a one-off counting anomaly.
Why housing matters for desistance
Housing is more than bricks and mortar for someone trying to rebuild their life after custody. A stable address anchors access to jobs, benefits, healthcare and substance-misuse services, and it makes attending supervision appointments feasible.
When people leave prison with no confirmed place to live, those practical foundations crumble — and with them, the prospects of staying out of the criminal justice system. Timely housing reduces immediate pressure and makes other interventions, from therapy to employment support, far more likely to stick.
What works on the ground
Some elements of effective practice are clear from where things go right. Early assignment of a resettlement officer and a pre-release housing assessment give people a head start; multi-agency panels help match needs to appropriate placements; and a blend of emergency accommodation plus clear pathways into longer-term tenancies keeps people out of crisis. Close coordination with local councils, housing associations and charities multiplies the chances of a sustained placement, while parallel referrals to mental-health and substance-misuse teams address the problems that most commonly drive repeat offending.
Case management increasingly relies on digital tools that track referrals, flag risks and keep auditable contact records. Simple performance metrics — for example, being housed within 28 days, attending supervision, and remaining in accommodation at three and six months — help agencies see what works and where resources should be focused.
Short-term fixes and longer-term aims
The Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI) has pushed short-term measures such as expanding emergency placements and identifying approved options for people assessed as higher risk. These stopgaps buy time while more stable tenancies are arranged. But the Northern Ireland Audit Office’s recent review on reducing adult reoffending underlined a basic truth: releasing someone without housing complicates any attempt to cut reconviction. Housing insecurity often sits alongside mental ill health, substance dependence and unemployment, so quick interim solutions need to be paired with tailored, longer-term support.
Numbers aren’t perfect — but the pattern is real
The statistics were published in response to an assembly question from MLA Ciara Ferguson. The dataset carries a caveat: individuals can appear more than once in a financial year, so repeat releases may inflate the count of people recorded as having no fixed abode. That makes precise trend-analysis harder, but it doesn’t erase the clear, repeated signal that many people are still leaving custody without secure housing.
What government and services are doing
The Department for Communities says it is working with the Department of Justice to strengthen transitional arrangements. Housing Executive advisors and benefits staff are embedded in some prisons to offer pre-release advice, and the Housing Executive funds specialist programmes for people with complex needs. One Belfast initiative, Complex Lives, provides wraparound support; it has helped over 200 people and sustained tenancies for 54 who faced chronic or repeat homelessness. Such targeted efforts show integrated support can deliver practical housing outcomes — but they also underline that scaling up is necessary to meet the scale of the problem.
The Plugging that gap will require better discharge planning, stronger multi-agency coordination, and investment in both emergency and long-term housing pathways so that rehabilitation has a real chance to succeed.
