A coalition in Chicago is working along with U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-ILL) to provide more resources to inmates as they leave jail. 30,000 inmates will leave Illiniois jails by the end of the year. Where will they live? How will they get work? How do we avoid the vicious cycle of recidivism? Congressman Davis has a good starting plan: a bill that would grant a low-income housing credit to developers who provide housing for past offenders.

Davis represents the 7th District, which includes six Chicago neighborhoods that are home to more than 30 percent of Illinois' outgoing inmates--Englewood, West Englewood, East Garfield Park, Austin, Humboldt Park and North Lawndale.
Predominantly poor, these communities do not have the resources to accommodate former offenders, many of whom were incarcerated for drug-related crimes and now need substance-abuse treatment, said Sharron Matthews, public director for Safer Foundation, an organization devoted to the successful reintegration of offenders.

Current public policies block inmates' access to such treatment, other forms of health care and educational and employment opportunities, she said, and this fuels recidivism. As a result, inmates are released without the skills or the support to survive. Almost half of them return to the penitentiary within three years, Davis said.Davis' bill would create incentives for developers across the country to build 100,000 units where ex-offenders could live while re-establishing themselves.

The bill failed in Congress' last session. We hope it passes this time around.