🏠 Housing after release
In brief
Homelessness is one of the biggest risks directly after release. There is no automatic state entitlement to a home, but there are several support benefits: the Jobcenter can cover a rent deposit as a loan and approve initial equipment for the home and clothing. Municipal help for people facing homelessness and transitional housing run by homeless services or by independent offender support can also help – the specific offer varies from municipality to municipality.
Step by step
- Start the housing search while still in prisonContact the prison's social service or an advice centre for offender support to explore options early.
- Clarify your registered addressWithout a home of your own, you can register at a social institution or – for the transition period – at the prison as your last place of residence; without a registered address, many applications cannot be filed.
- Apply for cost coverage before signing a contractApply to the Jobcenter to cover the rent deposit or cooperative shares before you sign the tenancy agreement.
- Apply for initial equipmentInitial equipment for the home and clothing can be applied for from the Jobcenter separately from the regular standard needs.
- Involve a specialist office in case of acute homelessnessContact the municipal specialist office for housing emergencies or a transitional housing facility run by homeless services.
Deadlines
- A registered address is a precondition for many applications (bank, Jobcenter, ID) – without a fixed residence, registering at a social institution or temporarily at the prison's address helps.
- Covering a rent deposit is a discretionary benefit as a loan, not an automatic grant – repayment is usually offset against the regular standard needs.
- Transitional housing and specialised offender-support services are not available everywhere – what is offered varies greatly depending on the municipality or provider.
- Whether and how private landlords may ask about previous convictions is not conclusively and uniformly settled in law – this is expressly named here as an open question instead of being answered with an invented rule.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals
Initial equipment and deposit (§§ 22, 24 SGB II)
Under § 24 para. 3 SGB II, initial equipment for the home and for clothing can be applied for separately from the standard needs; release from a prison is regarded as a typical case of application, provided no household of one's own remains. Covering a rent deposit is done under § 22 para. 6 SGB II, as a rule as a loan, and requires that it is justified to secure the accommodation.
Registration without a fixed residence
The Federal Registration Act (Bundesmeldegesetz) provides substitute arrangements for persons without a home (e.g. registration at a social institution); the concrete implementation in the transition from prison to a home of one's own is organised in practice by the registration office and the prison social service together.
Municipal help for people facing homelessness
Cities and districts maintain specialist offices for housing emergencies and transitional housing to varying extents. According to the available sources, no nationwide statutory requirement on the scope and facilities of this help is apparent; what is offered varies by municipality.
Role of offender support
Independent providers such as Diakonie, Caritas or stand-alone offender support associations in many places also arrange transitional housing. Whether and to what extent such offers exist locally varies greatly by region.
A question about your situation that this page does not answer? Write to us or use the contact form – we will tell you which office is responsible and what to bring. Free of charge, without individual legal advice.