More than 10 percent of those coming in and out of prisons and jail are homeless in the months before their incarceration. ^[1]   For those with mental illness, the rates are even higher-about 20 percent. ^[2]   The rates are also higher for those returning to major urban areas. A California study, for example, reported that while 10 percent of the state's parolees were homeless, an estimated 30 to 50 percent of parolees in metropolitan areas such as San Francisco and Los Angeles were homeless. ^[3]   Looked at from the perspective of the homeless population, 49 percent of homeless adults reportedly spent five or more days in a city or county jail, and 18 percent had been incarcerated in a state or federal prison. ^[4]   City officials are increasingly noting this connection. In a 36-city survey on hunger and homelessness, prison release was identified by officials in six cities (Cleveland, Denver, New Orleans, Phoenix, Seattle, and Washington, DC) as a major contributor to homelessness. ^[5]   Recent studies in New York City reveal that more than 30 percent of single adults entering shelters under the Department of Homeless Services are persons recently released from city and state correctional institutions. Many of these individuals are those that continually cycle between incarceration and shelters. ^[6]