Become a Host - Impact Justice

Open your home to the Homecoming Project

Have you been looking for a way to meaningfully give back? Do you have an extra room in your home? Are you in need of additional income?

Apply to Become a Host

Join our growing community of Homecoming hosts who are making a life-altering difference in the lives of those returning home after incarceration! Hosts are community residents in Alameda, Contra Costa, or Los Angeles County who provide six months of housing in exchange for a daily stipend. You’ll play a truly invaluable role for people rejoining their communities and be an integral part of their success — making them feel welcome and included as they settle home.

The Homecoming Project is a unique model of shared housing designed specifically for those returning home from prison and who are at very low risk of committing another crime. We understand that you may feel apprehensive about this right now. That’s OK! We’d encourage you to learn more about the program and how we’ve made the health and safety of every participant and host a top priority.

What does this mean for you? This means your living situation and lifestyle are taken into careful consideration and we match you with someone who has similar preferences. You’ll have a wide variety of tools at your disposal: a robust orientation period and ongoing training opportunities; a network of peer hosts to share experiences and resources with; and program staff who will coach you along the way and respond quickly to your needs.

Who would I rent to?

Housing Lab participants come into the program through several paths. This means you may rent to someone who is already out on parole and successfully completed an initial period in a traditional transitional housing program. Or you may rent to someone returning directly from state prison and who is under supervision of state parole. Either way, our staff rely on a risk-assessment tool that considers the positive changes eligible people already made in their life and their commitment to stay on a successful track. We also conduct independent assessments, screen, and vet participants for eligibility and promote compatibility matching that is beneficial for both the host and the participant.

What is the process?

The process to assure compatibility in any placement involves these steps:

- Hosts share their preferences and are asked to consider applicants based on their choices. They are provided detailed applications to review that include previously committed offenses, in-custody conduct, background, personality traits, lifestyle preferences, etc.
- A qualified applicant is selected based on the host’s preferences and then is asked to consider the applicant and is provided the detailed application.
- The host will have the opportunity to speak to and possibly meet the proposed participant before accepting them into their home.

When possible, program staff will facilitate a face-to-face meeting with the potential participant and potential host. When a face-to-face meeting is not possible during the time a participant is still in custody, staff will coordinate at least one phone call to assess compatibility and establish connections between potential matches.

Due Diligence

Research continues to underscore that individuals coming home from incarceration often experienced trauma and violence prior to and/or during their incarceration. To foster an environment that is mutually supportive and safe for hosts and participants alike, we conduct a due diligence process that includes background checks for hosts and anyone over the age of 18 who resides in the home. While most previous convictions do not disqualify someone from participating in the Homecoming Project or hosting a Homecoming Project participant, we do not accept hosts with prior sex offense convictions on their record, nor do we accept hosts with prior sex offense convictions on their record. More information about our background check process will be shared with you after we receive your application.

What are the next steps?

If you are interested in becoming a host, please submit an application online.

Once a match is agreed upon by host and participant, a move-in date will be established and a stipend of $45.00/day and a one-time security deposit of $400.00 will be provided.

Order of Operations:

1. 1. Application – standard personal information about you, your home, and your preferences
  2. Home inspection – a scheduled on-site visit to your home
  3. Orientation session – a detailed discussion and introduction about the program
  4. Matching – review applications and identify a strong potential match
  5. Housing arrangement – make it official and schedule a move-in date!