Nacro warns housing failures for ex-prisoners threaten Burnham’s rough-sleeping pledge

A charity analysis has revealed that nearly one in six prisoners released in England and Wales last year were homeless upon leaving jail, reaching a five-year high of 15.9%. The social justice charity Nacro warns that this systemic failure to provide accommodation undermines Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s pledge to eradicate rough sleeping, noting that homeless ex-offenders are significantly more likely to reoffend.

Between April 2025 and March 2026, 15,155 individuals were freed from prison without housing, an 18% increase from the previous year. This equates to approximately 300 people released into homelessness every week. The proportion of prison leavers released without accommodation has risen steadily for five years, climbing from 10.6% in 2021-22 to 15.9% this year.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of Nacro, stated that delivering on the prime minister’s pledge requires an urgent focus on reducing homelessness after prison. He highlighted that three in four people released to rough sleeping reoffend within a year, compared with just over a third of those released into accommodation. Solomon described a safe home as one of the strongest foundations for reducing reoffending and keeping communities safe.

Regional data indicates significant disparities in housing support. South-central England recorded the highest rate of homeless releases at 20.7%, followed by the East Midlands at 19.1% and the east of England at 18.4%. Wales had the lowest percentage, with 11.1% of releases resulting in homelessness. More than 1,300 women were released homeless or to rough sleeping in 2025-26, marking a 27% increase on the previous year.

The rise is attributed to early release schemes, inadequate housing support, and substandard accommodation options. Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, found that many prisons reported up to 30% of prisoners had no settled address, while a report by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government noted fragmented support and insufficient training among housing staff.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has allocated an extra £340m of funding over three years to end rough sleeping. However, the government is also reviewing early release protocols, including whether to block the release of two men convicted of the manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper. Officials are examining ways to keep Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers in prison, while Burnham announced that rapists and serious child sexual offenders would be excluded from early release policies.

A government spokesperson said the administration inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse and a homelessness crisis, with rough sleeping having more than doubled since 2010. The government committed to halving the proportion of offenders on probation who become homeless on their first night out of prison by 2029, working with local councils and charities to address the issue.