We are honored to share highlights and findings from Beyond Incarceration: How Breaking Barriers Is Building Pathways to Housing and Employment in Los Angeles, a recently released evaluation from RAND.
Breaking Barriers is a groundbreaking program that provides housing, tenancy support, case management, and employment services to justice-impacted adults and families in LA County who are experiencing homelessness. Breaking Barriers is operated by Brilliant Corners in partnership with Chrysalis, and funded by Los Angeles County’s Justice, Care, and Opportunities Department (JCOD) through the Care First Community Investment (CFCI) and the AB109 Public Safety Realignment Team, and the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC).
You can view the Research Brief here, and the full report is available here.
About Breaking Barriers
Breaking Barriers is a nationally recognized rapid rehousing and employment program, designed to reduce recidivism and prevent a return to homelessness. Understanding that people exiting justice settings face significant barriers to housing and employment due to discrimination, Breaking Barriers aims to help justice-impacted individuals and families in Los Angeles County achieve stability and independence.
The goal of Breaking Barriers is for participants to remain stably housed and employed at the end of the program, which may include transitioning to another stable living situation or for them to take over the rent. Brilliant Corners works in partnership with Chrysalis, a nonprofit focused on workforce supports for those with barriers to employment, to administer the program. Brilliant Corners offers 12-24 months of rental support, case management and housing services, while Chrysalis offers employment services, including job readiness, career planning, and transitional employment options. These are accompanied by flexible financial supports, such as move-in assistance, furniture, transportation funds, and childcare supports, and connections with external resources, such as legal aid, mental health services, public benefits, and family reunification assistance.
The Evaluation
Evaluators examined data from participants active in the program from March 2023 to December 2025. Qualitative interviews with program staff and participants and quantitative administrative data were analyzed to inform this study. Overall, the evaluation found that Breaking Barriers’ performance met or exceeded most stated goals, and that the program exceeded targets for referrals, case management, employment placements, housing applications, and rental assistance.
Key Findings
- Of participants who received housing subsidies through the program and exited, 73% had either a positive or neutral exit, with 61% having a positive exit to stable, permanent housing, such as those who took over the rent on their own, those who received a housing voucher, or other permanent housing, including reunifying with family, and 12% with a neutral exit to a supportive setting, including sober living or treatment facilities.
- Only 8% of all program participants exited due to incarceration, far below average recidivism rates.
- Housing stability surpassed program targets; 83% percent of all subsidized participants remained housed after one year, exceeding the program’s 12-month retention target.
- Longer housing retention increased the probability of a positive outcome, with the proportion of participants taking full responsibility for their rent payments (financial independence) being much higher for those who were housed for more than 24 months, and a higher likelihood of employment at program exit.
- Higher levels of engagement by Brilliant Corners and Chrysalis service providers were strongly associated with a greater likelihood of obtaining housing, longer housing retention, and a reduced risk of early program exit due to incarceration.
Participants Expressed Positive Experiences with Breaking Barriers
Why Breaking Barriers Matters
People coming home after incarceration need a place to call home, but face significant barriers and discrimination in accessing housing and employment. In the U.S., people exiting prison are 13 times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population, and over 27% of formerly incarcerated people are unemployed, higher than the unemployment rate among the total U.S. population ever in history. Breaking Barriers was designed specifically to address these compounding challenges, opening doors to possibility, stability, and a path forward for individuals and families alike by providing participants with the key tools for lasting success: housing, employment training, and wrap-around support. In Los Angeles County, the positive outcomes of this program are all the more remarkable when considering LA County’s untenable rental market and wages that have failed to keep up with market prices. With the support of Breaking Barriers, participants have been able to overcome significant barriers stacked against them: stigma, housing and employment discrimination, and the challenge of having to start over and rebuild from the ground up. Breaking Barriers has shown that with the right supports in place, a second chance can be a new beginning.
Acknowledgements
Breaking Barriers is funded by Los Angeles County’s Justice, Care, and Opportunities Department (JCOD) through the Care First Community Investment (CFCI) and the AB109 Public Safety Realignment Team, and the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC). The Board of State and Community Corrections commissioned the evaluation, which was conducted by RAND Corp. We extend gratitude to all partners and clients who participated in interviews and contributed to the evaluation effort.
