Out of prison, but no home to go to

A 2026 report from the Office of the Auditor-General found that while the Department of Corrections has processes for long-term prisoners, more than half of the people leaving prison have an unmet housing need, with many not having the support they need, a situation likely to result in their reoffending.

In response to the report, the Corrections said it didn’t know or need to know how many people leave prison without a place to live. This knowledge gap is more than a technical oversight. It has real consequences for reoffending rates and community safety, and highlights the need for a coordinated, cross-agency approach to housing support for those leaving prison.

Under Section 6 of the Corrections Act 2004, Corrections is responsible for supporting people to reintegrate successfully into the community after release, including helping people to find long-term housing. Housing is the lynchpin of successful reintegration and is often necessary for establishing other elements of life. Try getting a job when you don’t have anywhere to live.

Research from the University of Auckland reinforces this point, demonstrating that people with stable housing after release are 4.6 times less likely to return to prison. As the Office of the Auditor-General makes clear, knowing where someone will live after release is not optional, but key to preventing homelessness and reducing the chances of reoffending.

Corrections has stated in response to the report that it doesn’t track housing outcomes for those who are not released on parole or without release conditions, and that these individuals are under no obligation to disclose where they are going. While this may be technically correct, it misses the point. At the very least, it does not preclude Corrections from asking this group of people whether they have a place to stay as part of reintegration planning.

People serving short prison sentences (under two years), who don’t go through parole processes but have high rates of reoffending, often miss out on housing provision and support. 

Case managers are expected to assess reintegration needs within 10 working days of someone entering prison and to assist with finding suitable housing where necessary. However, the Office of the Auditor-General report highlights that case management processes are inconsistently applied and poorly monitored, with priority given to those eligible for parole or with stringent release conditions.

The University of Auckland study, which spoke to over 200 predominantly short-sentenced prisoners, found that over half of the sample needed help finding housing but didn’t get it. Those who missed out on support were 1.3 times more likely to be re-imprisoned within a year, reminding us that people across the prison population may need housing support.

Corrections funds around 1200 short-term supported accommodation places each year for individuals known to have complex needs and to be at high risk of reoffending; usually those serving over two years. However, such provision is fragmented and inadequate. Some facilities are oversubscribed, while others are underused.

It is unclear what options exist for those who don’t meet the high-risk threshold but don’t have a place to live. While this group may not reoffend at the same rate or seriousness as higher-risk offenders, their reintegrative needs can be just as significant. Their housing needs shouldn’t be ignored because they fall outside a risk category, for their own sakes and for a society that doesn’t want more crime.

Limited data exists on what happens once people leave supported accommodation, and anecdotal evidence suggests they often struggle to secure longer-term housing. Without reliable data on unmet housing need and post-prison journeys, it is impossible for any agency to plan effectively or allocate resources where they are most needed. Good data is essential to making the system work.

The Minister for Corrections, Mark Mitchell, has argued that responsibility for housing after someone has been released ultimately lies with social service agencies and the wider housing system. This claim contains some truth. Housing solutions for people leaving prison require a coordinated approach across multiple agencies, although this does not negate Corrections’ responsibility to ensure accommodation plans are in place on release.

Clear opportunities exist for improvement in cross-agency working. For example, embedding Ministry of Social Development specialists within prison could help people prepare for release more effectively. They could provide guidance on available housing support options, links to local housing providers, and assistance with applications for housing support on release. This would ensure smoother transitions into the community and help to address information-sharing concerns between Corrections and the ministry, an issue highlighted by the Auditor-General report.

With a sharp increase in the remand population since 2021, many more people are leaving prison with little notice or being released directly from court. Why not think more creatively about this across multiple agencies by providing housing assistance at court or taking steps to preserve existing housing when someone is remanded to custody? People going to prison may be suddenly faced with having to maintain their housing without an income, so this could include providing short-term financial assistance to help pay rents or even mortgages during brief periods of incarceration, as is the case in the UK and Germany.

Without a clear understanding of unmet housing need and better co-ordinated, cross-agency support, many will continue to leave prison without stable accommodation. This will lead to the predictable result of high rates of reoffending and increased pressure on communities.

If community safety is the goal – as Corrections, and certainly this coalition Government suggests – then housing and housing support that meets the needs of everyone leaving prison must be treated as a fundamental part of the solution.

Finding affordable housing is difficult enough at the best of times, but doubly hard for people who face the stigma of imprisonment. They need all the help they can get.