Many individuals on felony probation in Los Angeles County face challenges with housing
and employment, placing them at risk for further involvement with the criminal justice system. To address the needs of this population, Los Angeles County piloted a program called Breaking Barriers to provide adults on felony probation with a time-limited rental housing subsidy and housing retention services coupled with case management and employment supports. The primary goals of the Breaking Barriers pilot program were to (1) reduce recidivism, (2) improve participants’ housing stability, and (3) improve employment incomes sufficiently for individuals to take over their own rental payments by the end of the program period. We performed formative and summative evaluations to help provide early findings from this innovative housing-employment initiative.
Breaking Barriers: A Rapid Rehousing and Employment Pilot Program for Adults on Probation in Los Angeles County
RAND Corporation: Social and Economic Well-Being
Year: 2020