Homelessness Following Jail Exit Among Previously Housed Individuals

Incarceration is a recognized risk factor for homelessness. However, most research focuses on the relationship between homelessness and prison incarceration. Jail incarceration is more common compared to prison incarceration, but little data exists on its impact on housing. The objective of this study is to examine the occurrence of housing loss after jail incarceration among individuals without prior evidence of homelessness and the associated risk of reincarceration. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we identified adults without evidence of homelessness who became unhoused within 6 months of jail incarceration. We compare pre-incarceration emergent and urgent health and social services utilization among housed and unhoused individuals, as well as the risk of reincarceration. Data are from the San Francisco (SF) Department of Public Health Coordinated Care Management System linked with SF City and County criminal justice data during fiscal years 2015–2018. We find that a quarter (25.1%) of individuals lost housing after jail incarceration, with a median incarceration length of 4 days in both the housed and unhoused groups. Compared to those without evidence of housing loss, more unhoused individuals had pre-incarceration substance use and mental health diagnoses and related service utilization. Unhoused individuals had 1.9 greater odds of reincarceration. In conclusion, we find that a significant number of individuals had evidence of housing loss after even a short jail incarceration; behavioral health diagnoses were more common among this group. Housing loss was associated with subsequent reincarceration. Given our findings, jail re-entry programs would benefit from incorporating housing assistance and housing loss mitigation strategies.