Interrogate the evidence, find what works
Try it →
We collaborate with academics, universities, and research groups to uncover what really helps people out of homelessness. Explore our growing body of work that includes randomised control trials, systematic reviews, policy papers, and books which help to fill the gaps in our understanding of homelessness.
Evidence for impact is our new platform that makes the growing evidence base on homelessness easy to explore and understand. Interrogate the evidence, work through key questions, and act on what works to prevent homelessness. Bring trusted research directly to your decision-making, today.
September 18, 2026
Published in the International Journal of Epidemiology (September 2026), this landmark systematic review and meta-analysis provides the clearest global picture yet of the relationship between homelessness and mortality. Led by researchers at Cardiff University and University College London, the project searched four primary databases through December 2024 and supplemented published findings with unpublished cohort data. In total, the study synthesises 116 studies involving 2,563,633 people with experience of homelessness and 129,292,553 controls — representing the largest evidence base ever compiled on this issue.
Read more.png)
.png)
October 28, 2026
The purpose of this guide is to help local authorities make evidence-informed decisions about commissioning, evaluating, scaling or stopping Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in homelessness prevention. It provides practical guidance on how to evaluate these interventions in a way that is proportionate, robust and sensitive to the specific risks of working with people at risk of homelessness.
April 20, 2026
This three-year evaluation assessed the Everyone In Social Investment Pilot, which blended public and private capital, £50 million initially, levering a further £138 million, to enable not-for-profit providers to purchase or lease homes for people who had experienced rough sleeping or homelessness.
.jpg)
April 4, 2026
Problem debt is a systemic driver of homelessness. Across the evidence, a consistent picture emerges: debt is a key mechanism through which structural pressures become housing crises. Problem debt is not a peripheral issue but a central mechanism through which structural pressures translate into homelessness. Preventing homelessness therefore requires acting not only on housing, but on the systems that generate and manage debt.
.jpg)
March 15, 2026
This is the first completed trial of unconditional cash transfers for any population affected by homelessness within the UK to reach a sample of sufficient size to draw quantitative conclusions. People with experience of the care system are vastly over-represented among those experiencing homelessness. Research has found that one in ten people sleeping rough in London were care-experienced, and more than a quarter of young people leaving care had experienced sofa surfing.
.jpg)
December 16, 2025
Staying Close is a programme of enhanced support for young people leaving residential care and other forms of placement and transitioning to independence. It was developed by the Department for Education. This study involved conducting a pilot evaluation of the Staying Close programme. This covered three strands of work, including a pilot impact evaluation, an Implementation and Process Evaluation (IPE), and an Economic Evaluation of the programme's costs and outcomes.
December 11, 2025
This Systems Wide Evaluation report focuses on the interaction between the asylum and homelessness and rough sleeping systems, drawing on qualitative insights from across England. It identifies factors that can increase the risk of homelessness throughout the transition of refugees from the asylum estate, from preparing for transition to integrating into the community. It also highlights opportunities to build on good practice by some local authorities and diaspora organisations. ide
December 11, 2025
This Systems Wide Evaluation report focuses on the effect of commissioning, oversight and supply of supported housing on homelessness, drawing on qualitative insights from across England. It identifies structural issues, such as fragmented commissioning and the supply of supported housing, and highlights potential challenges with the implementation of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023.
December 11, 2025
As part of our Systems Wide deep dive into the interaction between the criminal justice system and homelessness and rough sleeping systems, a rapid evidence assessment has been carried out to collate and examine learning across the UK.
