Within thirty days of release, most parolees are faced with homelessness.  Some are even paroled to shelters, which is a temporary living arrangement.

HOME offers independent living counseling, budget management, rental/utility assistance, and financial planning.  Some services are offered upon resource availability.

In August of 2009, Tower as host agency for Springfield’s CSAC and in partnership with Land of Lincoln Goodwill submitted a report to The Corporation for Supportive Housing entitled Springfield Area Offender Housing Collaborative Report.   In the report’s statement of need, the requirement for development of permanent supportive housing for ex-offenders in Springfield, Illinois, “is completely consistent and in support of the City of Springfield’s 2009 Recalibrated 10-Year Homeless Plan……The ex-offender population clearly is a significant segment of the homeless population.”(p.15) The report noted that the percentage of people who attribute their “’institutional release’ as the cause of their homelessness in Springfield runs at a higher rate than the overall average for the State of Illinois as a whole. This indicates that correctional institutional releases may be more profound in the Springfield area than many other areas found the State of Illinois. The significant need for supportive housing in Springfield can be summed up in the following quote from Sandy Robinson II, the Director of Community Relations for the City of Springfield (the City’s point person on the issue of homelessness): ’The need and urgency for permanent supportive housing development in Springfield is real and represents the only significant strategy to addressour long-term issues related to homelessness and its related subpopulations…of which ex-offenders are certainly a great segment. The City is in support of any and all efforts to comprehensively address their critical needs.’” (p. 15)

While TOR continues to work with its CSAC partners and other community organizations to increase the units of transitional and supportive housing for ex-offenders in Springfield, HOME is TOR’s immediate response to addressing the needs of formerly incarcerated individuals arriving in Springfield. TOR offers independent living counseling to newly released individuals. Living together with someone on the outside, or even by themselves, presents a big change and challenge to many who have just left incarceration.

TOR maintains a list of landlords willing to work with its clients as they transition back into the community and connects clients with rental and housing assistance programs through its Community Support Advisory Council (CSAC) partners and other community resources. 

An important component of HOME is budget management and constructing a financial plan. In order to maintain a stable home environment, it is imperative for the formerly incarcerated to learn how to manage money, both now in and in the future. Preparing TOR’s clients for today’s resource reality via financial planning and budget management classes gives them the information they need to succeed.