Improving Connections to Affordable and Adequate Housing for Individuals Leaving Incarceration & People with Substance Use Disorders in North Carolina

The North Carolina Housing Coalition received a grant from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services – Division of Public Health to address housing needs of N.C.’s most vulnerable populations, with a focus on formerly incarcerated individuals and individuals struggling with substance abuse. We conducted a landscape analysis of affordable housing options for vulnerable individuals through stakeholder interviews and focus groups with people who utilize housing services, housing providers, and housing policymakers. We then presented this landscape analysis at a North Carolina Safer Syringe Initiative Syringe Services Program Learning Collaborative meeting to elicit feedback from attendees. Additionally, we sought to improve relationships between stakeholders in the criminal justice and behavioral justice spheres, as well as engaging with communities that deal with the affordable housing crisis on a day-to-day basis, in order to support a strong continuum of care within the three sectors.