From behind bars to … the streets? Bay Area residents with records struggle to find housing

“It’s supposed to be when you leave prison, your punishment stops. Unfortunately, the punishment begins.”
Housing struggles are a reality for many Bay Area residents, but they’re even more acute for the estimated one in five Californians with a criminal conviction, leading to higher rates of homelessness for formerly incarcerated individuals.
“For many people, they remain homeless for years and years,” said Sonja Tonnesen, co-founder of Oakland-based Root & Rebound, which advocates for people who have been incarcerated. But momentum to change that is building. Root & Rebound recently released a housing “toolkit” for formerly incarcerated renters — a lengthy document that explains their rights and how to protect them — and is holding training sessions for community members.
Marisa Kendall in The Mercury News, June 21, 2019
MORE POSTS
California Prison Agency ‘Discriminates’ in ‘Efforts to Assist ICE,’ Charges...

Sign Up
Join our mailing list.