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Washington State Institute for Public Policy

All of WSIPP's research is published on our website. The Publications page includes every report we've released—from our founding in 1983 to the present. Each report entry includes the title, publication date, abstract, any available supplemental materials, and a downloadable PDF.

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Publications

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Housing Vouchers Upon Release from DOC Custody: Relationship to Homelessness, Public Benefits, Employment, and Recidivism

Open Publication PDF

Travis Taniguchi, Leah Hardenbergh - January 2026

In Washington, people leaving custody after a period of prison confinement may be eligible for rental housing vouchers. The goal of providing housing vouchers is to increase post-incarceration housing stability, which may help reduce recidivism and increase employment. The Washington State Legislature has authorized housing vouchers through several legislative efforts, which have been implemented at different times and vary in eligibility criteria. Generally, people leaving the custody of the Department of Corrections may be eligible for $700 per month in housing vouchers for up to six months.

In 2023, the Washington State Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) to conduct a study of the impact of vouchers after changes were made to the program. Findings suggested that housing vouchers were associated with improvements in several outcomes. People who received housing vouchers were less likely to experience homelessness, more likely to find employment and earn more money from that employment, and less likely to be rearrested. Longer periods of vouchered housing were associated with larger benefits, and benefits were strongest while someone was actively receiving vouchers. People who received housing vouchers were also more likely to receive other public benefits. A benefit-cost analysis indicated that the benefits of voucher programs outweighed the costs of the program. Each dollar spent on vouchers returned about $1.12 in benefits. These findings should be understood as descriptive and not interpreted as causal.

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