Just Home: Understanding Cycle of Housing Instability and Justice Involvement in Missoula County

The Just Home project in Missoula County, Montana, is a collaborative initiative supported by the MacArthur Foundation to address the intersection of housing instability and justice system involvement. Led by Homeword, Inc. and the Missoula County Community Justice Department, the project seeks to develop sustainable, community-driven solutions that reduce incarceration and improve housing outcomes for vulnerable populations. To inform this work, the University of Montana’s Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities conducted a comprehensive community needs assessment using mixed methods, including administrative data analysis, qualitative interviews with service providers, and community engagement with unhoused and justice-involved individuals. Findings show that housing instability and justice involvement are mutually reinforcing, with unhoused individuals frequently incarcerated for low-level offenses. Native Americans and Black residents face disproportionate impacts, and transition-aged youth are at heightened risk due to systemic gaps in support. Structural and bureaucratic barriers such as legal exclusions from federal housing vouchers, lack of income, and administrative hurdles further marginalize justice-involved individuals. While innovative local programs offer promising models of collaboration between the justice system and local service providers, significant gaps remain, particularly in transitional housing, culturally responsive services, and behavioral health supports. The report offers recommendations for addressing the intersection of homelessness and justice involvement through expanding Housing First and transitional housing models, developing youth-specific supports, and advancing Indigenous-led housing initiatives. The report also calls for reducing criminalization of homelessness, strengthening reentry services, and addressing stigma through public education and inclusive employment practices. This assessment provides a critical foundation for systemic reforms aimed at breaking the cycle of homelessness and incarceration in Missoula County.