By Jordon Tagaloa
Every year, over 600,000 people are released from U.S. prisons and jails. For many, freedom comes with a new kind of confinement—no ID, no job, no income, and nowhere to go. Within days, some end up sleeping in shelters, in their cars, or on the street. In Portland and across the Pacific Northwest, the cycle from incarceration to homelessness is not just common—it’s become expected.
And that should alarm us all.
A Problem Hiding in Plain Sight
People exiting the criminal legal system are ten times more likely to experience homelessness than the general public. For Black Americans—already overrepresented in both the justice system and the homeless population—that risk is even greater. In Multnomah County, nearly 25% of the homeless population has had some form of recent justice involvement. That’s not a coincidence—it’s policy failure.
Housing is one of the biggest barriers to successful reentry. Background checks, parole restrictions, and limited affordable options create a nearly impossible maze. And without stable housing, everything else—employment, recovery, mental health, reconnection with family—becomes harder, or impossible.
Why This Matters in the Northwest
Oregon has one of the highest rates of incarceration per capita on the West Coast. When people are released, they often return to the same neighborhoods that have been hit hardest by poverty, gentrification, and over-policing. Services exist, but they’re underfunded, overburdened, and rarely coordinated in a way that meets people’s actual needs.
Worse, Oregon’s housing shortage means even people with perfect records are struggling to find shelter. For someone with a felony, the odds are stacked even higher.
The Cost of Doing Nothing
When housing isn’t part of the reentry plan, people are more likely to return to jail or prison within months. One national study found that former inmates who are homeless are up to 7 times more likely to be reincarcerated. That doesn’t just destroy lives—it drains public resources.
Jails are not treatment centers. Sidewalks aren’t recovery spaces. And no one heals, stabilizes, or transforms while living in a tent.
What Can Be Done
Some cities are doing it differently. Los Angeles launched a “Housing for Reentry” pilot that combines permanent supportive housing with job training and case management. San Francisco expanded transitional housing for people on probation. Closer to home, Multnomah County's Transitions Projects and Central City Concern have housing options tied directly to reentry, but the need still outpaces supply.
We need to:
Ban blanket housing discrimination against people with criminal records.
Fund more transitional and permanent supportive housing for reentry populations.
Connect parole and probation offices with housing providers.
Invest in peer-led support teams made up of formerly incarcerated individuals.
This Isn’t About Excuses—It’s About Solutions
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about excusing crime. It’s about preventing people from being punished twice—first by the system, then by a society that offers no path forward.
From cell to sidewalk is not justice. If we want to break cycles of poverty, crime, and homelessness, we need to stop letting housing be the barrier that keeps people stuck.
Because no matter what someone’s past holds, they still need a place to sleep. A place to start over. A place to call home.References
Couloute, L., & Kopf, D. (2018). Out of Prison & Out of Work: Unemployment among formerly incarcerated people. Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/outofwork.html
Harding, D. J., Morenoff, J. D., & Herbert, C. W. (2013). Home is Hard to Find: Neighborhoods, Institutions, and the Residential Trajectories of Returning Prisoners. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 647(1), 214–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716213477070
Fontaine, J., & Biess, J. (2012). Housing as a Platform for Formerly Incarcerated Persons. Urban Institute. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/housing-platform-formerly-incarcerated-persons
Travis, J., Western, B., & Redburn, S. (Eds.). (2014). The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences. National Research Council. https://doi.org/10.17226/18613
Multnomah County. (2023). Jail Reentry and Homelessness Data Dashboard. https://www.multco.us/jail-reentry-dashboard
LoBuglio, S., & Mauer, M. (2006). Why Are So Many Americans in Prison?. The Sentencing Project. https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/why-are-so-many-americans-in-prison/
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