Jobs, Friends, and Houses

A transitional program for individuals leaving treatment or the criminal justice system in the United Kingdom that focuses on employment, housing, and social support

Jobs, Friends, and Houses (JFH) is a social enterprise model in the United Kingdom that facilitates the transition from incarceration to reentry into society for those in recovery from substance use disorders (SUD), in addition to providing these same services to those leaving SUD treatment. This model recognizes that long-term outcomes are improved when individuals are able to access supportive recovery housing, gainful employment, and positive social networks. 

The program provides a 16-week program for vocational training to increase the employability of the individual. Apprenticeships are also available that are pathways to meaningful employment.

Social networks are built among people in recovery through recreational activities, social events, and open and encouraged visitation from people in recovery and recovery allies external to the program. 

As a social enterprise, many of the apprenticeships offered by JFH are linked to renovating poor housing. JFH purchases or partners with private home owners and landlords to provide renovations for safe, quality housing. This housing is then used as recovery housing for individuals in the program. 

Additional services include mentor training, financial guidance, access to specialist services, group therapy, and referral to medical services. The social enterprise model is self-sustaining and does not provide direct treatment services. 

A presentation with more information on the program can be found here and an academic summary of the program can be found here

A social enterprise model may be able to meet many of the recovery needs that extend beyond substance use disorder treatment.

Continuum of Care
Recovery
Type of Evidence
Peer-reviewed
Response Approach
Housing, Education, and Employment
Peer-reviewed Article

Evidence of Program Effectiveness

Preliminary results are very promising:

"Before joining JFH, the 48 clients who were involved in the first year evaluation work had a total of 1142 recorded offences on the Police National Computer (an average of 32 per person), over criminal careers lasting 13 years, suggesting extremely high and change-resistant criminal involvement. Twenty-eight JFH staff had experienced a total of 176 imprisonments before the start of JFH. Since joining JFH, a total of five offences had been recorded (by three individuals). This means that the average annual offence rate was 2.46 before they joined JFH and 0.15 since joining JFH. This represents a 94.1% reduction in the annual recorded offence rate, which is an incredible success rate massively exceeding what would normally be expected from rehabilitation programmes." (Best, 2019)