Albany Sheriff's Homeless Improvement Program (SHIP)

The Albany County Sheriff’s Office provides temporary housing for people without safe shelter or a permanent address. The program helps residents by offering necessities and basic amenities, while they focus on financial savings, personal improvement, and finding permanent housing.

• Agency: Albany County Sheriff’s Office
   
• Location: Albany, N.Y.
   
• Department size: Large (>50 Officers)
   
• Practice started: April 2020
   
• Active

Individuals who are unhoused often encounter barriers such as a lack of transportation, safe spaces to sleep and stay during the day, and consistent access to personal hygiene supplies. Limited space and resources at housing shelters also results in overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, and the absence of personalized assistance. These factors have been shown to directly influence personal health.

Formerly incarcerated people are almost 10 times more likely to be unhoused than the general population. This contributes to an increased likelihood of engaging in criminal behavior. Some traditional temporary housing shelters require contributions from their residents, such as income-based financial support, participation in work programs in exchange for residence, or a portion of SNAP benefits. While not an intentional outcome, mandating a portion of an unhoused person’s already limited resources can create additional obstacles and further delay independence.

The Albany County Jail had unused correctional space that the Sheriff’s Office repurposed to serve those struggling with homelessness.

Program Description

The Sheriff’s Homeless Improvement Program (SHIP) provides reliable shelter, access to hygiene supplies, and a community to individuals without stable housing, offering temporary transitional residence between homelessness and permanent housing. The facility is located in section of the Albany County Jail that was vacated and decommissioned due to decreased jail population. SHIP and its services are free. The facility opened 50 renovated rooms in April 2020.

SHIP’s accommodations are separate from the section of the Albany County Jail that holds incarcerated individuals. It has a dedicated entrance, and the interior of the SHIP housing facility was completely renovated to look and feel like modern housing units, removing or minimizing remnants of the jail such as razor wire and cell doors, and adding modern overhead lighting and the ability to lock and unlock room doors.

The SHIP facility offers safe shelter, independent living space, and care coordination to its residents. SHIP staff work closely with community partners ensuring all recipients receive services aligned with their identified needs and goals. The program accepts people without homes and/or those recently released from incarceration, without any geographic restraints. Joining the program and living in the residences is completely voluntary, and there are several typical recruitment methods. Law enforcement in the Albany area provides most program referrals, recommending people for the program and inviting individuals who could benefit to see the facility. Media coverage and word of mouth from former participants, friends, family and employees have raised public awareness of the program. If a member of the public has a referral for the program, they can contact the Albany County Sheriff’s Office.

Civilian employees from the Sheriff’s Office staff Albany SHIP 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Upon referral, SHIP staff collect preliminary information, including information about any health conditions, where the individual most frequently stays overnight, and any potential history of substance use. SHIP staff also perform a background check for registered sex offender status and criminal history prior to intake. People with convictions for violent and/or sex crimes are not admitted. When the referral and screening processes are complete, and all parties agree to proceed with residency, an intake date is set.

Once admitted to the program, SHIP requires residents to commit to, and work toward, a specified goal identified by them and their case coordinators. Each coordinator manages a case load and monitors residents through weekly check-ins, while helping the resident find permanent living quarters, assisting with job searches where applicable, and providing resources for other hurdles, such as transportation and saving money. Coordinators and residents celebrate successes and work through challenges together.

Residents capable of working are required to work or actively look for employment. Working residents must save half of their income for permanent housing, including rent and application fees, and present their pay stubs and savings account balances to coordinators during check-ins. SHIP staff will assist residents with opening a bank account if they do not already have one. As noted, SHIP is free, enabling residents to save money that will help to stabilize them in the community after they complete the program.

Residents must sign a contract certifying they will follow SHIP’s rules while living on the premises; they receive only one warning for failure to comply. A second infraction results in removal from the program. SHIP has a 10 p.m. curfew for residents, unless it conflicts with terms of probation or employment requirements. SHIP also maintains a strict no-drugs/alcohol rule in the complex. All residents must be clean and sober. If staff discover drug use, the resident is removed and referred to treatment. The resident may return when they’ve received external treatment services.

Shared spaces inside the building include a fully furnished common area; a room with shared computers and laptops for apartment and job searches; and a kitchen area with hot plates, microwaves, refrigerators, and a stove. Residents can purchase their own food outside of the facility and prepare it on-site. The SHIP facility also adopted a dog who remains on-property as a shared pet for program participants. SHIP staff strive to make the area feel more comfortable for residents and offer opportunities for increased independence.

SHIP staff offer voluntary wraparound services in collaboration with community partners assisting program participants out of homelessness. Housing referrals are made with Catholic Charities and the Housing Inventory Count with CARES of New York. Transportation assistance is provided at no cost to the residents through the Capital District Transportation Authority. Public buses take residents to a local mall which connects to many local bus routes.

In early 2025, a wing for women and their children opened, featuring family suites and 38 single rooms for women. The program now has a total of 90 single rooms, and three family suites. The wing for women and children uses the same entrance as the rest of the SHIP facility that remains separated from the jail. In April 2025, SHIP converted a room into a doctor’s office dedicated for wellness visits addressing medical needs. On-site health care professionals provide residents with appointments to obtain check-ups, address generalized health concerns, and receive blood tests.

Residents typically have a 90-day residency limit. Most people move out around the 90-day limit for permanent housing, but can leave earlier. Participants may request residency extensions, which are considered on a case-by-case basis. Albany SHIP admitted 494 residents between its opening and December 31, 2024. Of those 494 residents, Albany SHIP recorded 378 successful discharges, without removal from the program (77%). Of those 378 successful discharges, 71 percent (270) connected to secured housing, 64 percent (241) connected to employment, 58 percent (220) participated in financial planning, 52 percent (197) connected to substance abuse treatment, 29 percent (108) received assistance obtaining identification, and 21 percent (81) connected to medical service providers. As of August 2025, 75 residents came to SHIP from the Albany County Jail; they included individuals referred by the Albany County Public Defender’s Office, County Probation Department, and state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (Parole).

Funding

Most of the funding sustaining the program comes from the Albany County Sheriff's Office’s existing budget. A Community Project Funding federal grant provided $500,000 in 2022. The Black Nurse’s Coalition and American Rescue Plan fund the on-site doctor’s office. Albany SHIP’s continued partnership with Broadview Federal Credit Union has provided donations, and assisted with renovation costs and labor, throughout the program’s existence. The Sheriff’s Office also accepts donations of hygiene and feminine products, clothing, and entertainment items. Monetary donations go through administration in the Sheriff’s Office first and are not processed by the SHIP facility alone.

Relevant Partners

Albany SHIP works with several local partners in the Albany area to facilitate continued operation. Partners include Albany County Crime Victims Services, Albany County Re-Entry Task Force, the Addictions Care Center of Albany, Broadview Federal Credit Union, Capital District Transportation Authority, Catholic Charities, Rehabilitation Support Services, and Trinity Alliance Of The Capital Region.

Supportive Research

Services providing structure and support after incarceration such as SHIP’s doctor’s office, housing, and on-site transitional assistance, can help create long-term stability and have been shown to help reduce recidivism, in addition to improved mental and physical health. Results indicate that people provided with these resources also report dramatic decreases in depression and anxiety levels, easier access to preventative physical and mental healthcare, medication and proper medication storage, and personal hygiene and sanitation.

Critical Success Factors

• Create a home-like atmosphere through redesigns wherever possible. Ensure flooring, furniture, light fixtures, wall paint, landscaping, etc. are modern and safe help the area feel more like a residence. This separates the area physically and mentally from a carceral setting and can be especially important to those previously incarcerated.
   
• Adopting a communal pet, such as a dog, contributes to a deinstitutionalized setting, and boosts morale. This gives residents the shared responsibility of helping to care for, and the opportunity to spend time with, the animal.
   
• Evaluate and screen anyone requesting admission as a resident to ensure a safe environment. Background checks help keep residents safe and able to feel welcome.

Several news features showcase Albany SHIP for housing people in need, such as those seeking education, individuals with no personal identification, and people looking to meet their career goals.

In the future, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office aims to add a juvenile wing to address increasing homelessness among youth. The Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services are developing these plans.

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Published 09/2025