Trying to be a role model - Trying to be a role model - Re-Unite: Meeting the housing Re-Unite: Meeting the housing

needs of mothers leaving needs of mothers leaving prisonprison

Ashley Horsey

Chief Executive

Commonweal Housing

A registered charity which creates housing projects that incorporate tailored services for occupiers enduring social injustice in order to demonstrate how these social injustices can be resolved.

 We provide the housing – bespoke acquisitions. Since 2007, we have allocated around £3½million for such projects. 

 We will also commission independent external evaluation of projects to ensure we capture all relevant learning and to establish the role model principles to enable future campaigning for replication.

Why Re-Unite?Why Re-Unite?

Re-Unite is about breaking the vicious cycle of mothers who are homeless upon their release from prison being unable to be reunited with their children. 

Because they do not have custody of their children they are only able to secure one bedroom accommodation; and because they may only have one bed accommodation they are unable to have custody of their children.........  

Why Re-Unite? Vicky’s own wordsWhy Re-Unite? Vicky’s own words

““Society at large benefits, both in human and Society at large benefits, both in human and financial terms” - financial terms” - Baroness CorstonBaroness Corston

“The process of evaluation of this demonstration project has been extremely valuable. It provides an important basis for the replication of the idea of a housing and support package for women and their children in other areas”

Dr. Loraine Gelsthorpe Institute of Criminology Cambridge University