The NYU Furman Center’s Housing Solutions Lab (Lab) and the Center for Justice Innovation (CJI) invite teams working on housing and criminal justice issues to apply to the 2025 Housing Justice Peer Network (the Network) to address barriers to collaboration and explore policies, investments, and partnerships that expand access to housing for justice-involved people. 

People who have interacted with the criminal legal system face a wide range of barriers to accessing stable, affordable housing. Similarly, those who do not have stable housing are more likely to be arrested and have worse outcomes within the legal system. However, despite the connected nature of criminal justice issues and housing stability, these systems often operate in silos. 

The Network marks the latest initiative pursued by the Lab and CJI to support improved housing outcomes for justice-involved people. In April 2024, the two organizations published Housing Is Justice: Exploring State and Local Innovations, a report that surveys programs across the nation that feature partnerships between housing and criminal justice stakeholders and highlights key characteristics of successful programs. With the knowledge generated from this report, the Lab built several new resources that detail the results of the research, highlight funding strategies, and allow people to browse a database of over 50 programs using an interactive interface.

The Network is accepting applications from teams of three to four members that include individuals working in the housing/homelessness sector and/or the criminal justice system. Over the course of the Network, teams will develop projects related to innovations in government policy or practice. The Lab and CJI anticipate that a criminal justice and/or housing government agency will be best positioned as team leads for projects of this nature. However, we are open to considering a different structure if a compelling case is presented. 

The Network will provide technical assistance and policy guidance to justice and housing agencies interested in partnering to tackle the housing needs of the people they serve. Our team of housing and justice reform researchers and practitioners will support agencies as they identify and develop solutions, and the data and partnerships needed to execute them, at the intersection of the justice and housing systems. This includes:

• Peer networking and support: Network participants will join a community of peers across the county and an ongoing forum for shared learning, support, and innovation. 
• Cross-sector partnerships: Participants will build new and refine existing partnerships among housing and criminal justice actors in order to design solutions. 
• Technical assistance: Participants will have access to support in identifying challenges and potential solutions, engaging stakeholders, and planning for implementation. 
• Evaluation support: Participants will develop strategies for collecting data and tracking the outcomes of their efforts. On a case-by-case basis, the Lab may partner with Network participants to evaluate new and promising interventions.

The Network will kick off in March 2025. Phase 1 of the Network will consist of monthly virtual sessions lasting 60 to 90 minutes for facilitated peer learning and will take place over six months, starting in April. During Phase 2, each team will receive individualized technical assistance to better understand the challenges and opportunities within their local context and develop an implementation plan for a specific intervention.