Transitional Housing

*FY22 and FY23 Budgets include Community Justice Centers and VNADSV.

Through grants to community partners, the DOC supports the provision of transitional housing, rental assistance, housing search and retention, and other supportive services for individuals released to the community from Vermont's correctional facilities. The primary purposes of the program are to:

1. Promote housing stability of individuals returning to the community from incarceration;
2. Supervise and support individuals in the least restrictive environment (conducive with public safety); and
3. Provide opportunities for reintegration and connections to community and services.

With a safe, stable place to live, participants are able to find employment, engage in substance abuse and mental health treatment, pursue education or training opportunities, and connect to services that will support their long-term stability in the community. 

Priority is given to individuals being released to the community from incarceration, as well as individuals who are supervised in the community and are at risk of being (re)incarcerated due to lack of appropriate and stable housing. Most participants are on furlough/conditional reentry status, and all participants are under some level of Department of Corrections (DOC) supervision.

The individuals we serve have multiple and complex needs often related to mental health, substance abuse, employment, transportation, rental history (or lack thereof), and education, just to name a few.

The DOC works in partnership with Designated Agencies, Public Housing Authorities, Community Justice Centers, affordable housing providers, private landlords, municipalities, and non-profit organizations. 

To gauge whether participants are "Better Off" after having participated in transitional housing programs, we measure the following:

• % who were not charged with a new crime while in the program;
• % of participants who were employed, enrolled in an educational or training program, or receiving benefits (TANF, SSI, VA, General Assistance, etc.) at exit; and
• # (and %) who exited to permanent housing (included in this report).

Additionally, program activities support community connections and integration.