As a new administration and Congress takes shape, we hope to see a renewed commitment to criminal justice reform and to reentry programs that address the underlying causes of homelessness and recidivism.
As a leader in the field, The Doe Fund has a responsibility to offer real, bipartisan solutions. Below, we have laid out the state of homelessness and recidivism in America today, and what the Biden presidency can do to end it.
Homelessness has reached a crisis point in the United States.
- The National Law Center of Homelessness and Poverty estimates that 2.5 to 3.5 million Americans sleep in shelters, transitional housing, and public spaces.
- People of color and those with histories of incarceration are far more likely to experience homelessness. In 2018, the Prison Policy Initiative reported that individuals with histories of incarceration are 10 times more likely to be homeless than the general public, and consequently are more likely to be re-incarcerated. Black Americans make up 13% of the population but 40% of people experiencing homelessness and 40% of the prison population.
- COVID-19 has laid bare the painful inequities of our society, particularly in communities of color and other vulnerable populations. Before the pandemic, the National Alliance to End Homelessness reported that 567,000 individuals were on the street or in shelter on any given night. As a result of it, Columbia University projects this figure will rise by 40-50%—to potentially over 850,000.
We need to reimagine more efficient, effective, and inclusive solutions for homeless and formerly incarcerated populations. By doing so, we can lower recidivism rates as well as prevent, shorten, and end homelessness in our communities.
The answer? The “Work Works” model of Ready, Willing & Able.
30 years ago, we pioneered an approach that recruited homeless people directly from the streets, gave them the opportunity to work, earn a wage, have a safe place to live, and access support to help them get back on their feet.
Today, Ready, Willing & Able is a time-tested, award-winning model that has served over 28,000 New Yorkers and has been adopted by seven communities across the country.
For two decades, approaches such as Housing First and Permanent Supportive Housing have been the focus of funders and policymakers. However, too many adults experiencing homelessness and returning from incarceration are caught in a cycle of poverty, crime, and addiction because they lack access to tangible opportunity.
While Housing First offers an immediate solution for qualified adults experiencing homelessness, traditional housing models are only viable for approximately 25% of adults experiencing homelessness based on economic and eligibility criteria set by Federal policy. Therefore, these solutions cannot fully address the diverse needs of people experiencing homelessness, as they are neither quick nor economically practical as a one-size-fits all solution.
The Work Works model of Ready, Willing & Able is especially effective because of its unique, holistic combination of employment, housing, and social services. When combined, the stability provided by access to income, safe housing, and support all in one program presents a transformative opportunity to permanently ascend the economic ladder.
Work Works has the potential to move hundreds of thousands of people off the streets each year and to save hundreds of millions of dollars through a cost-effective model that leverages earned revenue and better deploys taxpayer funds by investing in opportunity.
In December 2018, the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services reported that Ready, Willing & Able reduced the 3-year felony conviction rate of formerly incarcerated graduates by 62% compared to demographically identical individuals who initially signed up for the program but exited after fewer than 60 days.
High wage and job retention rates indicate the powerful impact of Ready, Willing & Able’s occupational training and wraparound services. 94% of participants found new employment in 2019. Of those who enrolled, 81% completed the training program, and participants earned over 500 industry-recognized occupational certifications in 2019.
Work Works has a proven return of investment.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness found that the annual taxpayer cost for one adult experiencing homelessness ranges from $35,000-$45,000 on average, and can exceed $150,000. With the Work Works model, a one time cost of $35,000—which includes the pay of a program participant—can break the cycle of homelessness, incarceration, and unemployment forever. At the Colorado-based Ready to Work program, which uses the Work Works model, 75% of participants transition from street homelessness to mainstream jobs and independent housing each year.
According to the Vera Institute of Justice, incarceration costs taxpayers an average of $31,000-$60,000 per inmate, per year. In December 2019, the NYC Department of Corrections reported the cost of incarceration per person in New York City to be $337,524 per year—nearly tens times as much as the cost to keep that person out of prison through a Work Works model. An independent audit found that for every dollar spent on Ready, Willing & Able, NYC taxpayers saved $3.60 in costs associated with emergency city services and the criminal justice system.
With policy support and funding, Work Works can be deployed quickly to make immediate, measurable impact on communities of all kinds. Our recommendations for the new administration include:
- Recognizing the holistic model of Work Works—which combines employment, housing, and supportive services—as a new, necessary category of the continuum of care that brings myriad benefits to communities in need.
- Broadening the current, restrictive definition and on-the-ground implementation of Housing First. Setting policy for a broader view of Housing First to allow complementary efforts for communities to provide and fund congregate living/transitional housing for special populations.
- Allocating funding to the Work Works model that can be accessed by states, counties, and municipalities for the purpose of launching and sustaining transitional paid work, coupled with housing and support.
- Leveraging funding from a broad range of sources—including Federal agencies and private/public ventures—to support Work Works, given that its holistic approach not only addresses homelessness but also offers economic development, workforce development, behavioral healthcare, reentry services, and many more benefits.