PRISON RESETTLEMENT
Support for people leaving prison and returning to Bristol
Leaving prison without a safe place to stay makes everything harder. Our Prison Resettlement service supports people who are at risk of homelessness on release, wherever in the UK they are held, as long as they are returning to Bristol. We work with men and women from up to 12 weeks before their release date, building a plan for housing, health and everything else that comes with returning to the community. We are there on release day, and for the eight weeks that follow.
Make a referral. Fill out the form below and a member of the team will respond as soon as possible.
Nobody should walk out of the gate with nowhere to go
Welcome to Ara’s Prison Resettlement service. We work alongside people in the final weeks of their sentence to make sure release day is not the day everything falls apart. Our RSI Resettlement Workers meet clients where they are, in prison or by phone, and build a plan together covering accommodation, health, substance misuse support and the practical steps of returning to Bristol.
Support that starts inside and continues long after the gate
Once a referral is accepted, each client is assigned an RSI Resettlement Worker who stays with them through every stage of release. We start early, we turn up on the day, and we keep going once the immediate crisis has passed.
Before release
Your worker will visit you in prison, or arrange an initial phone call if you are held further away. Together you will develop a resettlement plan covering accommodation, substance misuse support, health care including GP registration, medication and prescribing, volunteering and general practical support.
Release day
We offer to meet you at the prison gate on the day you are released, so you are not making that journey alone. Your worker will support you to get to any appointments you need to attend in those first hours and days.
The first 8 weeks
Support continues in the community for a further eight weeks. This is when housing, health and routine either hold together or come apart, so we stay involved until things are settled.
Who the service is for
We support both men and women leaving any prison in the UK, with one requirement: that you are returning to Bristol on release.
You can access this service if you are leaving prison, coming back to Bristol, and at risk of being homeless. If you are not certain whether you meet the criteria, get in touch anyway and we will talk it through with you.
How to make a referral
We accept referrals from professionals and we accept self-referrals. You can start a referral using the form on this page and a member of the team will get back to you.
We work with people for 12 weeks before their release date, so referrals are best made within that window. If you are not sure whether someone is eligible, or when to refer, get in touch and we will talk it through.
Our main referral pathways are the 12-week list generated by Ara staff, the HMP Bristol Release Board, and HPT meetings.
