A new report from The Salvation Army’s Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit (SPPU) identifies secure accommodation as a critical foundation for reducing reoffending and supporting successful reintegration from prison in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The report, Six Pillars of Reintegration – Pillar One: Accommodation – Making Home Base, is the first in a sixpart series examining the essential support people need when returning to the community after prison. It draws on research, policy analysis and The Salvation Army’s frontline experience.

More than 43 percent of people released from prison return within two years, and almost twothirds (59.2 percent) reoffend, highlighting the urgent need for more effective reintegration support.

“Without a secure home base, successful reintegration becomes extremely difficult,” says Lt Colonel Ian Hutson, Mission Officer at The Salvation Army’s Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit.

“Stable accommodation is the foundation for everything that follows — whether that’s addressing mental health or addiction issues, reconnecting with whānau, finding work, or building a lawabiding life in the community.”

The report outlines how many people leave prison without confirmed housing and face significant barriers to securing it, including limited ability to arrange accommodation while still in custody, reluctance from landlords to rent to people with criminal histories, and financial and practical obstacles on release.

Research consistently shows a strong link between housing instability and reoffending. A University of Auckland study, Going Straight Home, found that people in unstable accommodation six months after release were 4.6 times more likely to be reimprisoned than those in stable housing.

“Accommodation does not sit in isolation,” Ian said. “Housing instability often undermines wellbeing, employment, income, and family reconnection. When one area falls, the others are much harder to sustain.”

The Six Pillars of Reintegration series is structured around an evidencebased model used by the Department of Corrections and aligned with international best practice. The six pillars — accommodation, wellbeing, education, family and community, life skills, and employment — reflect the interconnected nature of realworld reintegration.

This report highlights the significant social and economic costs of failing to support people into secure housing, including high reoffending rates, further victimisation, the ongoing cost of imprisonment, and harm to individuals, whānau and communities.

“There are practical steps that can make a real difference,” Ian said. “Investing in reintegration, including housing, is far less costly than continuing to rely on imprisonment alone.”

Six Pillars of Reintegration – Pillar One: Accommodation – Making Home Base is the first in a series aimed at raising public awareness and strengthening understanding of what works to support lasting reintegration outcomes.

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