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Join the Re-Unite project by Housing for Women, supporting mothers and children separated due to imprisonment. Providing housing and intensive individual support, this program helps women rebuild their lives, addressing issues like substance misuse, offending behavior, and more, for a fresh start. By reuniting families, it breaks the cycle of re-offending, benefiting both mothers and their children.
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Re-Unite – the project Liz Clarson Chief Executive Housing for Women
The need • 17,700 children separated from their mothers by imprisonment each year • 66% of women in prison have dependent children • 45% had children living with them at time of imprisonment • Only 5% of those children remain in the family house during mother’s imprisonment • 38% of women prisoners expect to be homeless on release
Catch-22 ‘‘If you don’t have a home, how do you get your children back? I wouldn’t have got residency for the children from the court if I didn’t have Re-Unite’’ - Kathleen
Re-Unite project • Commonweal provides suitable accommodation • Housing for Women provides intensive individual support to the women on release • Two strands: the Mother’s programme and the Mother’s & Children’s programme • 11 properties in South-East London.
Criteria • Serving or remand women prisoners – homeless on release • Dependent children and realistic chance of being re-united • Women who really want to change their lives • Local connection with Greenwich, Lewisham or Southwark or • Have experienced domestic violence and want to re-locate to South-East London
The programme • Contact established with the women in prison • Assessment undertaken • Mother met on release and helped to settle into her temporary accommodation • Children return home to their mother • Support worker agrees individual support plan with mother
Preparation for independence Addressing the issues • Substance misuse • Offending behaviour • Tenancy sustainment • Money management • Education, training and employment • Relationships • Independence and self-esteem • Physical and mental health • Parenting skills • Healthy family life
The next steps Having completed the programme, which lasts up to two years, the women are helped to find permanent accommodation for their families.
The benefits • Gives women and their children a fresh start • Breaks the cycle of re-offending • Helps the children who are often the forgotten victims • Restores a woman’s self confidence and self worth • Powerful business case: The costs of Re-Unite are £14,825 per client pa compared to a place in a local prison at £41,084 pa
