Housing security is the key to building financial stability, acquiring wealth and connecting with the community, but returning citizens face several barriers that prevent them from securing affordable housing. Approximately 600,000 returning citizens are released from incarceration annually, oftentimes without an immediate housing plan in place. Black and Brown communities, especially, are at a higher risk as they experience disproportionate rates of both incarceration and homelessness. Policymakers must prioritize housing security and resources for returning citizens to ensure they can work towards financial security and decrease recidivism rates. This cycle of incarceration and homelessness must be broken to ensure that housing security is prioritized for all individuals.  

Returning citizens are often restricted to the locality they were arrested in, even if it does not present the best housing options and resources needed to integrate successfully back into the community. They often also lack income or savings and face resistance from community members. Instead of restricting returning citizens, policymakers must give them the option to reside in any locality within the state so they can have the best housing and economic opportunities for stability and growth.  

The removal of residency restrictions would contribute to more opportunities for financial security for three reasons. First, if returning citizens were able to select their own locality for residency, they would be able to move to places with more housing and job opportunities within the state. Second, returning citizens would be able to access better support systems. For example, returning citizens with substance abuse histories or mental health needs would be able to move to a county that specializes in supporting them. Families could also play a bigger role in a successful reentry if returning citizens could live near them. Lastly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, successful virtual post-release check-ins demonstrated that more flexibility for returning citizens is possible and has been successfully implemented.  

To learn more about how to prioritize housing security by ending residency restrictions for returning citizens, check out our policy brief. We encourage you to use the information in this brief to reach out to your legislators and ask that they introduce legislation to ensure returning citizens have access to more housing opportunities in your state. You can also share the Prosperity Now Scorecard’s latest local and state data so that lawmakers are equipped with the necessary facts to support economic opportunity initiatives like this one. Returning citizens need to have the best options and opportunities available to not only achieve financial security for themselves, but to build stronger and more equitable communities for all.