True public safety requires that everyone have access to safe, stable housing. As the criminalization of poverty and homelessness persists in our country, so does the cycle of people between the criminal legal system and homelessness. In the United States, formerly incarcerated individuals are nearly 10 times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population. Rates of homelessness among formerly incarcerated people are especially high for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color, as well as women.

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Seeking to disrupt the cyclical relationship between homelessness, housing instability, and the criminal legal system, Homebase launched the Criminal Legal System Initiative (CLSI) to deepen cross-sector partnerships and expand mutual awareness and collaboration. The CLSI’s goal is to improve outcomes for those impacted by the criminal legal system, decrease system-involvement through housing solutions, improve public safety outcomes, and reduce strain on public resources.

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Our work is staffed by a team of housing and criminal legal system experts who collaborate with an expansive network of community partners, including individuals with lived experience of homelessness and/or the criminal legal system. We use our multidisciplinary expertise to help partners bridge gaps between systems, encouraging deeper collaboration across all relevant sectors to ensure that homelessness and housing insecurity are no longer drivers of incarceration and social injustice.