Community services for high‐risk offenders: Inclusion, access and sustainment

There are a number of factors which make it difficult for high‐risk offenders to find housing. Recent guidance for more flexible housing allocation policies has encouraged the collection of more information on tenants' backgrounds, especially previous convictions. Many housing providers, encouraged by government policies to crack down on anti‐social behaviour, have introduced wider definitions of ‘unacceptable behaviour’, which has served to disqualify many offenders from eligibility. Some have been excluded from local authority provision on the grounds that their criminal convictions constitute ‘intentional homelessness’. This article looks at the problems, the risks and community safety issues, and suggests how improving inclusion, access and sustainment can provide for safe resettlement.