Short Synopsis

Returning Home: Prison, Homeless, or Housing? The Choice That Changes Everything  is a powerful documentary that follows formerly incarcerated individuals as they rebuild their lives through supportive housing. Set in Ohio, the film spotlights two groundbreaking reentry initiatives, CSH's Returning Home Ohio and Community Transition Program, that are reducing recidivism to just 3% and 1.4% respectively and saving taxpayer dollars by preventing costly cycles of incarceration and crisis care. Through candid personal stories, the film shows how housing, support, community, and second chances can offer a cost-effective alternative to prison expansion while creating safer communities and transformed lives.

Long Synopsis

What happens when someone leaves prison with nothing but the clothes on their back? No ID. No job. No place to go. For too many, this marks the beginning of a devastating cycle: homelessness, rearrest, and incarceration—again and again.

Returning Home: Prison, Homeless, or Housing? The Choice That Changes Everything takes viewers inside two innovative reentry programs in Ohio that are breaking this cycle with one simple but revolutionary idea: supportive housing. Through deeply candid, personal stories of individuals—some of whom spent decades behind bars or were once on death row—the film reveals how affordable housing, paired with community-based services, creates real opportunities for stability, healing, and reintegration.

At a time when homelessness is rising and prisons are overcrowded, Ohio faced a $1 billion decision: build another prison or invest in people. Supportive housing costs a fraction of incarceration and delivers proven results. Ohio’s innovative reentry initiatives, CSH's Returning Home Ohio and Community Transition Program see just 3% and 1.4% rates of recidivism respectively. Administered in collaboration with state agencies the programs are changing lives and saving taxpayer dollars by reducing reliance on emergency services, shelters, and jails.

The film is a collaboration between CSH and Invisible People and is a call to action for smarter justice, safer communities, and a more compassionate approach to reentry. Returning Home Ohio is made possible through collaboration with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction and Community Transition Program is a collaboration with the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services.

Social Media Post #1

🎥 Film Premiere Alert!
What if the key to ending the cycle of incarceration is... a key?
🔑 Returning Home is a powerful new documentary showing how supportive housing is transforming lives—and saving taxpayer dollars.

Watch the film: https://csh.org/returninghomefilm, a collaboration between [tag CSH via LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram] & @InvsiblePeople.
#ReturningHomeFilm #SupportiveHousing #ReentryMatters

Social Media Post #2

Ohio is investing in second chances with programs that connect people leaving the state prison system with affordable housing and services. 
Returning Home shows how supportive housing reduces recidivism to just 1.4%, cutting taxpayer costs tied to incarceration and emergency services, and transforms lives.
📽️ Watch the film by [tag CSH via LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram]  and @InvisiblePeople and see what real second chances look like: https://csh.org/returninghomefilm
#ReturningHomeFilm #SupportiveHousing

Social Media Post #3

"I was on death row. Now I have a home, a job, and a future."
The "Returning Home" film by [tag CSH via LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram] & @InvisiblePeople shares the powerful stories of people rebuilding their lives after prison—with housing and services as the foundation.
And it’s saving taxpayers money by reducing costly crisis interventions.
🎬 It just premiered on YouTube. Don’t miss it.
🔗 https://csh.org/returninghomefilm
#ReturningHomeFilm #SecondChances #EndTheCycle

Social Media Post #4

What would you do if you were released from prison today with no ID, no job, and nowhere to sleep tonight?

RETURNING HOME follows individuals facing this exact challenge—and innovative Ohio programs helping them succeed through supportive housing. The results? A recidivism rate of just 1.4% and transformed lives.

It's time to ask: Do we want more prisons or more solutions?

Stream the film now at https://csh.org/returninghomefilm #ReturningHome #CriminalJusticeReform