Homelessness a recurring problem for former inmates, jails working to address issue

Without the support of her grandfather, three-time convicted felon Amanda Rooney would likely have had to rely on a homeless shelter for housing after leaving the Simpson County Detention Center.

"I've been truly blessed," Rooney said. "Recovery, hard work and honesty have gotten me to where I'm at today. It's hard. It's not easy. People like me don't usually get these opportunities."

Rooney, of Louisville, now works in a factory 12 hours a day, six days a week and constantly works on her continued recovery from opioid addiction. She lives with her grandfather paying him rent not because he asked for it but because it's the right thing to do and she checks in with him regularly during her workday to let him know she's working and not out using. It's part of rebuilding trust.

She considers herself among the lucky to have sobriety, a job and secure housing ? all vital tools to avoid falling back into old habits that result in recidivism.

"People who don't have housing end up couch surfing, getting into sordid old people, places and things back in that vicious cycle," Rooney said.

A study released Friday conducted by mass incarceration expert and Villanova University educator Brianna Remster shows that people who have been incarcerated experience frequent homelessness directly after serving their sentences and remain at risk for homelessness for many years after their release.

"Although the risk is highest soon after release, approximately half of individuals who used (homeless) shelters experienced their first spell more than two years after release. Moreover, shelter use spells were prolonged and repeated," according to Remster's study.

Simpson County Deputy Jailer Ashley Penn, who is the program director for the Simpson County Detention Center, is not surprised by the study results.

"The system right now as it's set up is set up for failure for them," Penn said. "They almost have to use homeless shelters."

Penn oversees many programs at the jail to help inmates address their individual needs in an effort to create a path to successful re-entry.

"Housing is our biggest struggle," Penn said.

"As a convicted felon, it's hard for most of them to find adequate housing," she said. "Most places will not rent to them. They are not eligible for government housing. Upon release many of them are trying to do the right thing and find substantial employment but housing is one of the primary things that everyone needs but no one wants to give them a chance, so homeless shelters are one of their few options.

"In a lot of instances after being away from family so long that family unit becomes broken. It becomes where they cannot connect with their family," she said.

Lack of employment is usually the reason many former inmates cycle back into the system, Penn said. "But there again, housing and employment go hand in hand and it's a ripple effect.

"Homelessness is probably not the leading cause of recidivism but it's one of them," she said. "When we started our program here we polled inmates. We asked them, what are the big factors that cause you to offend and they said lack (of) jobs, lack of money and lack of housing."

Part of the programming at the Simpson County Detention Center allows inmates to continue receiving assistance from jail staff for a year after they leave the facility.

Barren County Corrections Center has similar programming with its Local Responders Network made up of Jailer Tracy Bellamy, judges and community members. Bellamy recalled an instance in which a recently released inmate who had found work needed work boots for her new job. The network met that need so she could start work.

"We're throwing all the programs at them that we can," Bellamy said. "We've had some real good success stories, and we've had a lot of repeat offenders. If you get one person to succeed, then it's a job well done."

"Fighting recidivism helps everyone," he said.

Warren County Jailer Stephen Harmon said re-entry programming is an important component to combating homelessness among former inmates and recidivism.

"I can understand why the study would show statistics of homelessness of inmates due to employment issues and also just re-entering society unprepared and fighting stigmas of incarceration," Harmon said. "I think this goes back to the importance of having a re-entry program and providing inmates with a plan to regain employment and sustain that employment while being able to explain and overcome periods of time where they were incarcerated.

"If they're not ready when they get out and have a plan and can keep a job, then financially it makes sense that they are going to relapse or re-experience homelessness. Something that is a priority currently at Warren County and I'm sure other jails around is allocating resources and focusing on re-entry preparedness. And all of this planning and seeking a change in thinking and perspective starts with the inmate. They have to be committed to wanting a different way of life.

"Re-entry programs not only benefit the inmate but long term they benefit every taxpayer as recidivism proves to be very expensive and overall successful re-entry improves quality of life in every community," Harmon said.

Rooney credits Simpson County Jailer Eric Vaughn and his staff with saving her life.

"I want to give a lot of gratitude to Simpson County jail," Rooney said. "I was in three different facilities and that is the best facility I have ever been in. I was able to set a plan of action. I was able to do (moral reconation therapy) and in that process I was able to address my family and build some sort of trust, which gave me an opportunity to have somewhere to go.

"A lot of people, we lose our family because we damage relationships from our drug use. I've got a lot of different input. I've been fortunate. But all people I come into contact with are not.

"A lot of people have nowhere to go. There's not a lot of support for convicted felons and drug users. So we're stepping out to failure yet again. It's (a) daily struggle for someone like me with my past most of the time.

"I've worked my butt off to get where I am at. I'm going up from here. I've been at the bottom and I don't want to go back today.

"Tragedy and hard times wore me out, and my mother died and I will not be that statistic," Rooney said. Her mother died from diabetes and complications related to drug abuse.

"I'm grateful everyday," Rooney said. "I thank God and I set goals on a daily basis."

Right now she is working toward a promotion in her job.

"I do not have a desire to go back to the way I lived for 19 years. My worst day now doesn't compare to my best day when I was using," Rooney said.