A report provided interim findings from the evaluation of the London homelessness social impact bond project, launched in November 2012 to raise additional finance to support innovative services aimed at improving outcomes for a cohort of 830 rough sleepers. The evaluation was ongoing, with a final synthesis report due in 2016.
Source: Qualitative Evaluation of the London Homelessness Social Impact Bond: First interim report, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Sep
An article examined the impact of legal rights to housing for homeless people, focusing on the capacity of such rights to empower those experiencing homelessness, using Lukes' three-dimensional view of power and Bourdieu's concept of 'habitus' to distinguish between conceptualizations of empowerment. It drew on a qualitative comparison of approaches to homelessness in Scotland and Ireland, and said that, although in Scotland almost all those who were homeless had a legal right to settled accommodation, Ireland had rejected the 'legalistic' approach, pursuing instead a consensus driven 'social partnership' model. The article argued that legal rights could effectively empower homeless people, and said that the findings called into question popular and political understandings of the relationship between legal welfare rights and self-reliance.
Source: Beth Watts, 'Homelessness, empowerment and self-reliance in Scotland and Ireland: the impact of legal rights to housing for homeless people', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 43 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Sep
An article examined the relationship between strategies to manage poverty and the mobilization of collective action, examining interventions to manage homelessness in London between 1979 and 1993, and arguing that these interventions had the effect of also re-directing dissent and collective action. The article considered recent research on poverty management and insights from social movement theory, and the implications for contemporary homeless politics.
Source: Jonathan Greene, 'Managing poverty, managing dissent: homeless politics and collective action in London', Policy & Politics, Volume 42 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Aug
A report examined rough sleeping and single homelessness in London. It concluded that the priority need criteria essentially excluded single homeless people from an offer of accommodation. It said that a review of the system was needed, together with a focus on preventive measures and a more proactive and strategic approach to homelessness. It called on the London boroughs to work together more effectively, and for the Mayor to take more of a lead in securing support and funding from central government, and taking forward future planning to meet need.
Source: London Assembly Housing Committee, No Going Back: Breaking the cycle of rough sleeping and homelessness, Greater London Authority
Links: Report | London Assembly press release
Date: 2014-Jul
An article examined the impact of the European Union on homelessness policy-making, the key mechanisms through which homelessness emerged onto the EU agenda, and the first signs of EU impact on homelessness policy dynamics. It said that there was an interconnection between local actions, national measures, and the European Union policy arena, such that the EU could now support member states to address homelessness.
Source: Liz Gosme, 'Key steps towards a European Union homelessness policy', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 24 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jul
A report examined the impact of social policies on homelessness. The chapters covered a range of issues, including women's homelessness, job sanctions, and immigration policy.
Source: Rough Justice: Uncovering social policies that create homelessness, Commonweal Housing
Links: Report | Commonweal comment
Date: 2014-Jul
A report provided findings from the first year of a three-year evaluation of Crisis Skylight services in Birmingham, Edinburgh, London, Merseyside, Newcastle, and Oxford. Skylight services were designed to improve the social and economic position of single homeless people, with a particular focus on education, employment, and arts-based activities. The report said that Skylight represented a 'major innovation' in service provision focusing on the social integration of homeless people, and that the services had strategic coherence and a clear set of goals. It said there were clear indications that Skylight delivered outcomes in education, training, and paid work, and that the services were perceived to fill a significant gap in provision.
Source: Nicholas Pleace and Joanne Bretherton, Crisis Skylight: An evaluation – year one interim report, University of York/Crisis
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined literacy and numeracy skills among homeless people in England. An assessment of 139 people and 30 in-depth interviews with clients of a homelessness service found that: half did not have the basic English skills needed for everyday life; 55 per cent lacked basic maths skills; many participants had a poor experience of school, often connected to unstable or traumatic childhoods; and clients who lacked basic English and maths skills made less progress in addressing physical and mental health issues. The report said the funding arrangements in further education (based on attendance and achievement of qualifications) meant that colleges were unable to provide appropriate services for this group of learners, who experienced a number of barriers to mainstream services. The report made recommendations, including for a long-term commitment to funding appropriately designed English and maths programmes, for better co-ordination of community learning services with supported accommodation, and for the expansion of a pilot pre-employment support programme.
Source: Daniel Dumoulin and Katy Jones, Reading Counts: Why English and maths skills matter in tackling homelessness, St. Mungo's Broadway
Links: Report | St Mungos press release | St Mungos press release | NIACE press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined the experiences in the United Kingdom of newly-granted refugees during their first year and, in particular, their needs and experiences during the initial 28 day grace period before their asylum support (accommodation and cash payments) ceased. It said that people experienced difficulties in finding alternative accommodation within this 28 day timescale, causing cases of homelessness (including street homelessness). It said that some refugees reported that they did not have the identity documents and immigration status evidence required to access services, suffered delays in benefits claims, found it difficult to find work, or, in some areas, could not access support services. The report made a range of recommendations, including that the Home Office should continue to support refugees until they had full access to other means of support.
Source: Lisa Doyle, 28 Days Later: Experiences of new refugees in the UK, Refugee Council
Links: Report | Refugee Council press release
Date: 2014-May
The housing watchdog in Scotland said that the implementation of Housing Options (an approach to preventing homelessness through the provision of information and advice) by local authorities had been shaped by limited guidance and, until recently, without a comprehensive monitoring framework. It said that national guidance was now required, and made a range of recommendations for the Scottish Government and local authorities to address issues related to early intervention and needs assessment, the use of targets, waiting times, the assessment of homelessness status, the process of Housing Options interviews, and auditing the service.
Source: Housing Options in Scotland: A thematic inquiry, Scottish Housing Regulator
Links: Report | SHR press release
Date: 2014-May
An article examined the concept of the 'psychologically informed environment' and attempts at implementation by one youth homelessness service for very challenging young people who had been homeless, were leaving care, or had left custody.
Source: Jeremy Woodcock and Jamie Gill, 'Implementing a psychologically informed environment in a service for homeless young people', Housing Care and Support, Volume 17 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined the subjective lived experiences of well-being of homeless people, drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with temporarily housed adults aged over 25 years in a socio-economically deprived region of north-west England. It said that people reported a range of positive outcomes that improved their sense of well-being, and that this was consistently linked with both social and formal activities. The article discussed the value of a Salutogenic approach (that is, one that examined factors that supported human health and well-being) to the understanding of well-being.
Source: Andrew Dunleavy, Lynne Kennedy, and Lenneke Vaandrager, 'Wellbeing for homeless people: a Salutogenic approach', Health Promotion International, Volume 29 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined the experiences of homeless people aged seventeen to twenty-five years in England, who were resettled into independent accommodation. It described outcomes for their housing, finances, employment, and access to support services.
Source: Maureen Crane, Anthony Warnes, Jennifer Barnes, and Sarah Coward, 'The resettlement of homeless young people: their experiences and housing outcomes', Social Policy and Society, Volume 13 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
A report said that women who were homeless were among the most marginalized in society and, while there was much good practice among homelessness services, the complex and multiple needs of women were often failed by services that were predominantly developed for men. It noted the potential ongoing impact of welfare reform for women's homelessness, and called for more gender-sensitive services to be developed with appropriate provision for mothers with children, better partnership working, and senior staff with specific responsibilities for women's homelessness.
Source: Sarah Hutchinson, Anna Page, and Esther Sample, Rebuilding Shattered Lives: The final report, St. Mungo's
Links: Report | St Mungos press release | Revolving Doors press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined whether homelessness policy was being 'Europeanized', looking at processes on three levels: top-down influencing of national and sub-national processes; bottom-up dynamics influencing European Union policy; and cross-national horizontal developments. It said that, while there was increasing interaction between local, national and European Union level governance on homelessness, there was little in the way of substantive policy co-ordination and benchmarking.
Source: Liz Gosme, 'The Europeanisation of homelessness policy: myth or reality?', European Journal of Homelessness, Volume 7 Number 2
Links: Article
Date: 2014-Feb
An article examined the use of the private rented sector in Northern Ireland to house vulnerable (chronically) homeless people. It said that the policy was controversial, and there were some concerns about housing management quality, affordability, security of tenure, and suitability for homeless people with high support needs. The article argued that the Housing First and Housing Led models of support that had been effective in other countries could be adapted to the Northern Ireland context but, although the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Department for Social Development were committed to considering a Housing First model and more holistic, tailored support solutions, the economic recession, welfare reform, and shortage of affordable social housing might undermine policy development.
Source: Peter O Neill, 'Meeting the housing needs of vulnerable homeless people in Northern Ireland', European Journal of Homelessness, Volume 7 Number 2
Links: Article
Date: 2014-Feb
A report examined the long-term outcomes and well-being of vulnerable homeless households resettled into the private rented sector (PRS) in three locations in England (Greater Manchester, East Sussex and East London). It said that people's hopes for stability, safety, comfort, and warmth were not met in the majority of cases, with many properties having quality or safety issues. PRS tenancies were seen as expensive and the report said that people struggled to meet living costs, including those for energy and food. The report made recommendations for better support and funding, for longer tenancies in more suitable properties, and for local and national frameworks to address issues of quality and safety, and problem landlords.
Source: Mary Smith, Francesca Albanese, and Jenna Truder, A Roof Over My Head: The final report of the Sustain project, a longitudinal study of housing outcomes and wellbeing in private rented accommodation, Crisis/Shelter
Links: Report | Crisis press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Feb
A special issue of a journal examined the interrelationships between housing, health, and social care, drawing on research and practice.
Source: Journal of Integrated Care, Volume 22 Number 1
Links: Table of contents
Notes: Articles included:
Adrian Phillips and Andy Baker, 'Housing and health – a public health perspective'
Liz Blackender and Jo Prestidge, 'Pan London personalised budgets for rough sleepers'
Diane Lea, 'Putting housing at the heart of health reforms'
Date: 2014-Feb
A report examined homelessness services based on the principle of early intervention known as No Second Night Out (NSNO). It examined services in 20 areas of the country with higher levels of rough sleeping. The report said that, in London, 86 per cent of rough sleepers helped by NSNO services in 2012-13 did not sleep rough again (78 per cent outside London). It said that partnership working between local authorities, the wider public sector, and the voluntary sector was found to present a challenge at the service development stage, but there was a strong commitment among local authorities and service providers (90 per cent) to the future of NSNO. A key funding stream (the Homelessness Transition Fund) was set to end by March 2015, and the report noted the challenge this would pose to the future of the NSNO services.
Source: No Second Night Out Across England, Homeless Link
Links: Report | Homeless Link press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Feb
A report evaluated year two of the Making Every Adult Matter pilots. The pilots aimed to improve the co-ordination of support for people who had a combination of problems such as homelessness, substance misuse, mental health problems, and offending. The pilots ran in Cambridgeshire, Derby, and Somerset, three counties in England. The report said that client well-being increased for almost all participants, and costs fell compared with year one, but it noted the limitations of sample size and the possible presence of 'survivorship bias'.
Source: Tim Battrick, Laurence Crook, Kirsten Edwards, and Boaz Moselle, Evaluation of the MEAM Pilots: Update on our findings, FTI Consulting/Compass Lexecon
Links: Report | MEAM press release | Independent report
Date: 2014-Feb
A report evaluated the individual budget approach to tackling homelessness in Wales. Five pilot areas had each developed their own approach, and each had received funding of £20,000 from which it was anticipated they would work with ten clients. The evaluation found that, of 79 individual budget recipients involved in the pilots, at least 33 (42 per cent) had achieved relatively stable accommodation, while many others were in some form of temporary accommodation. The report said that the pilots appeared to represent value for money and that there had been a significant underspend per client, with the average figure less than £500. Workers reported reduced spending in other areas, such as health and criminal justice. The report made recommendations.
Source: Philip Brown, Right Time, Right Place? An evaluation of the individual budget approach to tackling rough sleeping in Wales, University of Salford
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jan
