Not knowing where they will live when they get out is one of the biggest worries for people from Renfrewshire serving time in prison, according to a council report.

The finding comes from a new programme set up over the past year with HMP Barlinnie and Parkhead Citizens Advice Bureau, which gave local agencies a chance to hear directly from Renfrewshire people in custody about what makes life hard on release. It is set out in Community Justice Renfrewshire's annual return for 2025/26, which goes to the council's Communities and Housing Policy Board on Tuesday 27 October.

People taking part described uncertainty over where they would live after release, worries about tenancy decisions, not understanding how the housing system works or what help is available, and the struggle of trying to sort out housing while still inside. The report says the emotional toll of that long uncertainty was hard to overstate.

What is changing

The report is honest that a home can't always be confirmed before someone is released, because demand for housing and homelessness services in Renfrewshire remains high. Instead, partners are concentrating on starting conversations earlier, explaining clearly who is involved and what happens before and after release, and coordinating services better, so people know what to expect and trust in housing services grows.

Housing support staff also want to get involved earlier, building relationships with people before they leave prison. Release information packs and joint pre-release planning between agencies are being developed during 2026/27.

Other work over the year

  • Links between unpaid work on community payback orders and local charities were strengthened with Engage Renfrewshire, and organisations taking placements praised participants' motivation, practical skills and willingness to help.
  • Local suppliers provided materials for unpaid work projects through community benefit commitments in council contracts.
  • Barnardo's was commissioned to run a new route into training and work for young people diverted from prosecution and for care-experienced young people.
  • Small grant-funded projects included RAMH's Trauma to Recovery programme and trauma-informed community placements for women run by Kairos Women+, with participants going on to volunteering, education and jobs.
  • A programme to help women in the justice system into employability support started later than planned and didn't meet all its aims, and the lessons have been used to reshape it for this year.

Councillors are being asked to approve the return, a draft of which has already gone to Community Justice Scotland. It is the last report under the current national community justice strategy, and the final version will be published once the board has signed it off.