Welcome to the 8th episode of the One in Four podcast, which stands for, “One in Four adult Americans has a criminal record.” This is a show that seeks to Humanize, Educate, and Elevate conversations about the re-entry process of people who have experienced incarceration.
In this episode, we will focus on the topic of housing and reentry. Having a safe place to live, in addition to finding stable employment, is often one of the greatest challenges that people face when they come out of prison. For starters, there are few affordable housing options available in many urban areas – the Washington D.C. greater metro area included. There is also the added issue of stigma, specifically the fear that everyone who has a felony record is dangerous and cannot be trusted. This means that many neighborhoods are off limits to any type of housing arrangement that would allow people coming out of prison to live there and rebuild their lives.
A report by the Prison Policy Initiative published in 2018, states that people who have been incarcerated are almost 10 times more likely to become homeless than the general population. This number is much higher for women of color who face unique barriers to housing and other social resources necessary to succeed after incarceration. The report also states that people who have been incarcerated multiple times are twice as likely to be homeless as those who are returning from their first prison term.
In this episode, my co-host Bea Spadacini will be speaking with Alicia Horton, Executive Director of Thrive D.C., a local non-profit thatworks to end homelessness in the nation’s capital. Bea will also be speaking to Kari Galloway, the Executive Director of Friends of Guest House, a Northern Virginia organization that provides transitional housing and other support services for women who reenter society after incarceration. You will also hear from two women who went through this particular program. To find out a few additional facts about housing for Returning Citizens check out our sidecast to this episode.
This episode is dedicated to Heidi Christiansen, a former Friends of Guest House resident, who gifted us with her personal story over the summer, prior to passing away. Her death, like that of another young man we interviewed earlier this season, is a stark reminder of the many challenges people face when they come out of prison.
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Hosts: Bea M. Spadacini and Tim Nicholson
