Centre for Homelessness Impact

What is a hostel in 21st century Britain? Next month we launch a new report analysing findings from a large-scale survey of homelessness hostels across the UK. It’s the first study of its kind and examines the typical characteristics of hostel provision. Join us at an online event on Friday 28th February to discuss the findings and consider next steps in the sector. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e-HVJczy #homelessness #hostels

Wonderful opportunity to join colleagues from across the globe at the International Journal on Homelessness (IJOH) conference this week. Already fascinating to see the similarities and different challenges that young people are facing in Wales, Canada and Tokyo, and responses to these. How local community support has helped families seeking asylum in Chicago and the use of data in Riverside, USA. As well as conversations about opportunities to make an impact with evidence in South Africa. Also great to catch up with colleagues from across the UK, many of whom I am seeing in person for the first time! The Centre for Homelessness Impact ran three sessions today focusing on our approaches to the System-wide Evaluation, the Test & Learn programme and evidence powered change. It was a great opportunity to share our work and generative further interest in how these approaches can be used elsewhere.

Our Director of Evidence and Data, Guillermo, shares an update about the presentation he gave on our Test and Learn programme at the International Journal on Homelessness (IJOH) Conference this week. Watch the video to hear more about why ‘Bringing evidence into the space of homelessness can help us accelerate progress.’ #IJOHConference

This month saw the launch of another groundbreaking Test & Learn programme, Nurses in Outreach Teams. In this article, journalist Keith Cooper sits down with Victoria Rowell, who will be running a nursing team to help people sleeping rough with health problems in eight local authority areas from Oldham in Greater Manchester to Croydon, south London. The street health care project is managed by Change, Grow, Live, a national health and social health care charity. It will be subject to a randomised control trial, a scientific means of evaluating how well something works. For Victoria, it fulfils a promise made when she experienced 'hidden homelessness' as a teenager. Read more about her remarkable story and the new programme here: https://lnkd.in/eEgJ7HAh

A new year is always a time for hope and this year, more than ever, I hold on to my unshakeable belief that we can end homelessness for good. Amid the pressures that are forcing the numbers of people affected by homelessness upwards, I still see signs of hope. I will hold on to these and I encourage you to do so too. I see hope in the growing recognition that we can’t go on like this, that we need a culture of experimentation and evaluation, testing and learning to build an evidence base of what works to end homelessness. At the Centre for Homelessness Impact, we will continue to lead this effort, driving solutions that are both effective and sustainable. And I see hope in the courage and conviction of leaders working within homelessness at all levels who are prepared to test new approaches, with all the demands and risks that entails. As we enter 2025, the Centre for Homelessness Impact remains committed to working with partners across the UK and beyond to ensure that every pound spent on tackling homelessness delivers measurable results. We invite everyone—policymakers, service providers, and members of the public—to join us in this effort. Together, by learning from what works, we can make 2025 a turning point in efforts to end homelessness for good. - Ligia Teixeira, CEO of the Centre for Homelessness Impact

Are you looking for a new role? Do you want to harness the power of evidence and data to improve policies and interventions to support people experiencing homelessness? If so, we're looking for an Embedded Research Lead and Implementation Lead (Scotland) to join the team. Both roles close later this week! Please share with your networks, find out more, or apply via the links below. Embedded Research Lead - https://lnkd.in/ewjK33qK Implementation Lead (Scotland) - https://lnkd.in/eNM-ugvF

Our chief executive Lígia Teixeira writes that, despite many challenges, there are grounds for hope in the findings of our latest poll with Ipsos UK analysing public perceptions of homelessness. Most people understand that homelessness is a structural issue, rather than blaming individuals, and a majority say that investing money to prevent homelessness is an effective approach. #homelessness #research #evidence #framing https://lnkd.in/eSixtv8U

Four out of five people across the UK believe homelessness is a serious problem and there is a strong sense that as a society we pay too little attention to it, our latest poll with Ipsos UK has found. 83% of adults across the UK agree that homelessness is a serious problem and 70% agree that as a society, we do not pay enough attention to homelessness. But people understand that homelessness is a structural issue rather than the fault of individuals and more than half (56%) agree that investing resources to prevent homelessness is a, effective approach. Read more about our findings. #homelessness #opinion #polling #prevention https://lnkd.in/eSwPj6Qt

We know that Christmas can be a tough time for people who’ve experienced homelessness. A season for exchanging gifts and spending time with family can be especially isolating for people facing adversity and in acute need. We know, too, that homelessness in all its forms is rising rapidly across the UK. Record numbers of people, including families with children, are spending Christmas living in temporary accommodation, with their lives on hold. At the Centre for Homelessness Impact, we are committed to using data and evidence to tackle these challenges head-on. Through tools like our Evidence and Data Tools and Test and Learn programme, we equip policymakers and practitioners with the resources they need to make informed decisions and deliver meaningful change. Behind every data point are individuals and families who deserve not just safety and a home, but the dignity and opportunity to thrive. So we must redouble our efforts to identify what works to end homelessness for good, by generating more and better evidence, responding to insights from robust data and by working collectively in areas where homelessness is highest to enhance impact.  We send thanks to our partners, our supporters and everyone committed to building the evidence base of what works and putting this to good use. And we send our solidarity to people affected by homelessness. Together we can end homelessness, for good.

How can sport shift the narrative about homelessness towards prevention? Jo Metcalfe, who recently joined CHI as an Associate, writes about the transformative power of sport for social change, and how organisations outside the homelessness sector can bring new approaches and additional capacity to efforts to prevent homelessness. https://lnkd.in/eY2rS8pJ #sport #homelessness