Develop strategies for expanding low-barrier housing and pathways to permanent housing for justice-involved clients

Lead agency: Public Safety Executive Office

Population of focus: Justice-involved clients experiencing homelessness

SIM intercept: 4-5

Summary of planned action:

County justice and health partners and the Regional Task Force on Homelessness will collaborate through an ongoing workgroup to develop permanent housing strategies for justice-impacted populations, with a goal of developing a housing continuum that addresses the needs and challenges of justice-involved individuals. Strategies and investments will align with the development of the County’s Housing Blueprint and with the County’s Framework for Ending Homelessness. The partners and the County will also advocate at the local, state, and federal level for steps that promote the inclusion of justice populations in housing funding and programs. 

Actions taken:

  • As part of the Proposition 47 Cohort 3 Program, the County of San Diego connects individuals who have significant needs and who are reentering the community from jail with a variety of services, including emergency and permanent housing, behavioral health treatment, benefits, and connections to employment. The Community Care Coordination Reentry Support (C3RES) program provides jail in-reach and wraparound services to up to 300 individuals transitioning from detention to the community. Participants can stay in their housing after their program term ends. Participation is voluntary and some individuals choose to exit the program before they obtain stable housing. For these individuals, their housing status after they leave the program is unknown. 

  • As of the end of September 2025: 

    • Of 318 individuals referred, 254 individuals have been enrolled while in custody 
    • Of the 213 who have been released from custody, 207 were immediately housed upon release

  • County justice, health and housing partners met in a housing-focused ATI subcommittee throughout calendar year 2024 and mapped housing programs for justice-involved populations across County departments and the community.  Insights include: 

    • Housing programs for justice-involved clients are focused on transitional housing 
    • Outcomes in transitional housing not known 
    • Need for housing vs. access to housing unknown 
    • Justice-involved use of public housing/Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) resources unknown 
    • Supported need for better data collection 
    • Supported need for more permanent housing pathways 

  •  “Naturally affordable” private market units. Analysis of flexible pool options and housing supports available through Medi-Cal is ongoing and housing will remain a central focus for ATI housing-focused interventions. 

  • County justice and health partners collaborated with the Regional Task Force on Homelessness (RTFH) to establish a Justice-Impacted Ad Hoc Committee to develop regional analysis and recommendations specific to address additional barriers faced by justice-impacted populations. The subcommittee includes County health and justice partners, representatives from community-based social services, advocacy, and health organizations, RTFH representatives, and a consultant with lived experience of incarceration and homelessness. The subcommittee has developed a work plan that includes analyzing barriers to justice involved populations accessing federally funded housing resources, analyzing the feasibility of including data collection in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) for justice-impacted individuals as a sub-population, and creating a resource of map of housing that supports justice involved and reentry populations. The subcommittee meets monthly and will advance specific analysis to inform any recommendations in 2026. 

  • While California and local data sources show a high intersection between people at risk of and literally homeless and justice-involvement, housing programs for justice-involved populations in San Diego County are often grant funded or restricted by eligibility to specific populations. Additionally, without data specific to justice populations collected or tracked in many housing programs, the impact and accessibility of broader housing efforts for justice-involved individuals is not fully understood nor anticipated. Therefore, it is important for ATI to prioritize housing programs and subsidized housing as a needed resource for justice involved populations. Paired with case management, resources, and interventions that target the roots of justice involvement, housing supportive services can increase stability and decrease arrests and incarceration. 

  • Recommendations in development to support new housing options for justice-involved populations and commit new resources to sustain key grant funded housing programs, with a strategy to transition programs to blended funding to draw Medi-Cal Transformation funding available to case management and housing support for rent and move-in costs. 

Next steps: 

  • Data collection: HHSA-Office of Homeless Solutions developed a definition of “justice-involved” for use across their homeless programs to track whether people who have been incarcerated are included in populations they support with accessing housing resources. This metric is being monitored quarterly and is currently undergoing quality review. Analysis to follow.  

 

  • In August 2024, the Land Use and Environmental Group Executive Office (LUEG) developed a Housing Blueprint (Blueprint) that established goals and strategies to maximize local resources and balance priorities to meet the County’s housing needs.  As part of the Blueprint, ATI is partnering with the Housing and Community Development Services (HCDS) to review local rules and practices around criminal history for potential adjustment and ensure relevant information and resources for affordable and interim housing options for justice involved individuals are made available on the County’s housing webpage.