82% increase in people released from prison with nowhere to live

Since 2017, the number of people released with ‘no fixed abode’ or ‘address to be confirmed’ has nearly doubled. Data on prisoners’ housing situations and needs is not routinely gathered or centrally collated by Corrections.

Corrections recognise that access to stable and secure housing is an important pillar of reintegration.  Despite this, over the last nine years 17% of prisoners were released with no confirmed place to live-an 82% increase.   

Māori are disproportionately bearing the cost of a broken system. 60% of people released with ‘no fixed abode’ or ‘address to be confirmed’ between 2017 to 2025 were Māori. 

Corrections do not centrally record whether a person was homeless before entering prison. Housing information may be documented in an individual’s file notes in when it is self-reported to staff, but there is no requirement for people to disclose their housing status when entering prison.  

Research has found that people experiencing unstable housing six months after release were 4.6 times more to be re-imprisoned (Going Straight Home? Post-prison housing experiences and the role of stable housing in reducing reoffending in Aotearoa New Zealand).  

Corrections staff do support people to develop release plans which include identifying suitable and safe places to live. But a recent Auditor General’s (2026) report concluded that Corrections needs better information about the quality and level of case management support people in prison are getting, and their housing outcomes when released, to understand the effectiveness of its housing support work. 

This is particularly important given that there are known barriers for people with a history of criminal offending when seeking temporary or permanent housing. An earlier Auditor’s General (2026) investigation (Supporting people in immediate housing need) found that historically, transitional housing providers most commonly declined people because they felt unable to support people with high mental health needs, complex physical health conditions, drug and alcohol addiction, and/or history of criminal offending .  

Data source: OIA Department of Corrections, Number of people released from prison whose release-to address was no-fixed abode or address to be confirmed 31 January 2017 to 31 December 2025.