Addressing Housing Needs for People on Supervision

SESSION INFO

Tuesday, August 20, 2019
3:45 PM - 5:15 PM
Session Type: Workshop

Reentry into the community is a vulnerable time, marked by an increased likelihood of relapse and increased risk of death in the first two weeks after release. One of the chief barriers to successful reentry for people leaving jails and prisons is the lack of affordable or supportive housing options in the community. This is further compounded by restrictions that local landlords, public housing authorities, and the broader homeless response system may have in place based on a person’s criminal history. Collectively, these factors place additional strain on community supervision officers as they navigate housing options as part of their broader strategy to reduce recidivism. This session will (1) highlight models that community supervision staff can pursue to build partnerships with homelessness service providers, health care providers, and other social service agencies; (2) review strategies to identify and respond to individual housing and service needs as part of comprehensive and collaborative approaches to case planning and supervision; and (3) discuss potential funding mechanisms that can help support community supervision agencies and their partners build additional housing resources for these individuals.

SESSION PRESENTERS

Liz Buck
Deputy Program Director, Behavioral Health, Council of State Governments


Liz Buck oversees and executes the CSG Justice Center’s projects to help jurisdictions address housing needs among justice involved populations. Prior to the CSG Justice Center, Liz was a program manager at Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), where she managed a 1.35 million cooperative agreement with the Health Resource Service Administration (HRSA) to link people experiencing homelessness to primary and behavioral health care. Liz also worked at the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers. She earned her BA at Union College and her MPA at NYU Wagner School of Public Service.


Robert Vehock
Program Manager, LA Department of Public Safety and Corrections


Robert Vehock works as the Program Manager for the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Office of Reentry. In his current role Robert is responsible for several BJA grants as well as multiple Louisiana Justice Reinvestment programs. Robert’s career has spanned over 20 years and has seen him work in most areas of criminal justice. He earned his BS at University of Louisiana at Lafayette and his MPA from the Louisiana State University Public Administration Institute.