Over half of women leaving prison are released without stable accommodation, and more than 1 in 10 will be sleeping rough when they return to the community[1].
Outcomes for women leaving prison are also worse than for men three months after their release, with over a third of women still searching for stable accommodation.
Tomorrow, the London Assembly Housing Committee asks charities, experts and representatives from the Greater London Authority (GLA) what the challenges facing these women are and how it affects their lives.
Members will consider the extent to which the Mayor is able to provide housing support for women leaving prison and their families, and explore how he can work alongside key stakeholders across the sector to improve the situation.
The guests are:
Panel 1: 10am – 11.15am
- John Plummer, Coordinator, London Prisons Mission
- Natasha Clough, Female lead for The Community Accommodation Service, Tier 2 (CAS-2) accommodation, Nacro
- Sam Julius, Head of Influence and Communications, Clinks
- Rachel Ozanne, Director of Programmes and Partnerships, Women in Prison
- Jonathan French, Director of Justice Services at Sodexo, HMP/YOI Bronzefield
Panel 2: 11.30am – 12.45pm
- Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development
- Velvet Dibley, Senior Housing Policy Officer, GLA
- Will Balakrishnan, Director Commissioning and Partnership at MOPAC
The meeting will take place on Tuesday 12 November from 10am, in the Chamber at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.
Follow us @LondonAssembly.
Notes to editors
- Ministry of Justice Offender Accommodation Outcomes, update to March 2024. Housed on Release from Custody data tables, table 4 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-accommodation-outcome…;
- Read the agenda in full.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
- Sem Moema AM, Chair of the Housing Committee, is available for interview.
- Find out more about the work of the Housing Committee.
For more information, please contact Josh Hunt in the Assembly Media Office on 07763 252310 or [email protected]. For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer.