This report presents the results of an evaluation of the Returning Home-Ohio pilot project, a supportive housing program for returning prisoners.
The Returning Home-Ohio (RHO) program is a pilot reentry project established to link prisoners with disabilities who have a history or risk of housing instability to supportive housing as they are released back into the community. The goals of the project are to reduce recidivism, homelessness, and costs associated with providing multiple systems and services to disabled offenders released back to Ohio communities. This report presents the results of an evaluation of RHO to determine whether it had met both its short- and long-term goals. The evaluation looked at four areas: identification, referral, provider contact and program enrollment, and housing and service delivery. Findings from the evaluation include the following: identification and referral of potential participants took longer than expected; pathways to supportive housing, beginning prerelease, varied considerably; provision of supportive housing upon release varied considerably; and while the enrollment process took time, careful attention and coordination, along with troubleshooting, led to RHO successfully housing and serving individuals who had some type of disability, or a history of homelessness or mental illness. The report also includes the results of a cost-benefit analysis of the program. While the findings show that the program led to lower rates of rearrest and reincarceration, and lower rates of return to emergency shelters, it also increased system costs due to the increased use of mental health and substance abuse services. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. Tables, figures, references, and appendix