Concern that many people released from jail in Sudbury end up homeless

Some improvements have been made to prevent homelessness after Sudbury jail releases, but agencies say more work needed. Angela Gemmill has the latest.

Agencies that support people released from the Sudbury Jail say more work is needed to ensure they don’t end up homeless after they are released.

A 2025 report from the John Howard Society of Ontario found that 7,455 people released from provincial correctional facilities recorded having no fixed address.

“We’re seeing these gaps in services that really affect most of our clients,” said Sara Berghammer, CEO of the John Howard Society of Sudbury.

“We really look to the jail to do their own pre-release planning, but that, too, is difficult simply because there isn’t affordable housing.”

Most inmates at the Sudbury Jail are only held there while their cases move through the court system.

“Some people are there overnight, some people are there 10 days, 30 days all the way up to two years,” Berghammer said.

“The pre-release planning can be difficult when you have several hundred people over there (at the prison) to just a couple of social workers.”

Amy Collins, the executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northeastern Ontario, said a big challenge is paying for housing, since many lose income assistance when they’re behind bars.

“Even if you don’t have that income to work with when you’re released, then you’re going to lose what you may have had as housing,” Collins said.

When people are released, they have to work to restore their income assistance – and then find a place to live, she added.

And if an individual is struggling with mental health or addictions, Collins said housing is not always a priority.

“There’s time in between that that’s taken for those needs, and with the lack of availability that we have for housing, we have to be quick,” she added.

“If you’re living in Espanola or Massey there are no available units, so if you’re in the outskirts of Sudbury it’s even more challenging to find housing.”

Both Elizabeth Fry and John Howard try to help set up housing for clients before they’re released, but timing and other factors could mean an inmate is released without a home address.

They may also help create a pre-release plans, but Collins said space to have those conversations is limited at the Sudbury Jail.

Need for transitional housing

Both Collins and Berghammer want to see more affordable housing in the region, especially transitional housing specifically for those released from jail.

“The more different types of housing that we can provide -- because not one fits all. I think that will get us to a better place for sure,” Collins said.

In an email to CTV News, spokesperson Saddam Khussain said that the “Ministry of the Solicitor General works with community partners, municipalities and other organizations to support the transition of individuals released from custody, which includes arranging travel to home communities and establishing connections with third-party supports, such as Indigenous organizations, culturally specific services, and multi-sectoral services and programs, as well as treatment services.”

“Additionally, our government is investing $1.7 billion through the Homelessness Prevention Program to support municipalities in improving access to safe and secure accommodations, such as supportive housing, and the wrap-around support they need. This is in addition to the over $75.5 million we are investing to build 1,239 additional housing units, 815 supportive housing units, and 971 additional shelter spaces across the province,” the statement added.

Berghammer said there have been some improvements, but more needs to be done.

“I’m hopeful because we are moving in the right direction and agencies just like ourselves are working very hard to really create some real change -- lasting meaningful change for these folks,” she said.