News and updates

Addressing the evidence gap in using social investment to tackle homelessness

New solutions to addressing homelessness have never been more important. Ending rough-sleeping in England by the end of this parliament remains a UK government commitment, but the challenge is likely to get tougher during the current cost of living crisis. Social investment could be one solution. Find out more about the Everyone In Social Investment pilot and how it will help to address the evidence gap in the role of social investment in ending homelessness.

What makes a hostel effective?

In this blog Jeremy Swain, as associate at CHI, outlines the of research into hostels. He makes the case that the sector needs a shared agreement about what defines a hostel, stronger evidence of which types of provision are effective for different groups and an improved understanding of the role of hostels as part of a system of services intended to help people escape homelessness. Jeremy’s experiences as CEO of Thames Reach and senior advisor to the government’s Rough Sleeping Taskforce provide multifaceted insights into of the nature of the sector and challenges it faces.

A vision for ending rough sleeping in England

We were thrilled to work alongside the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to facilitate a conversation with more than 200 local authority rough sleeping teams across the country.

Assessing the effectiveness and implementation of psychosocial interventions

We are delighted to be collaborating with Manchester Metropolitan University on two systematic reviews into psychosocial interventions.

Improving tenancy sustainment in the private rented sector

Our Head of Evidence and Data, Guillermo Rodríguez-Guzmán highlights the multiple opportunities ahead to improve tenancy sustainment in the PRS from our latest report with the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research.

Tackling tenancy insecurity in the private rented sector to prevent homelessness – what works?

Our latest report with the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) highlights that more could be done within the Private Rented Sector to prevent homelessness.

Breaking new ground in Scottish Parliament

Our Public Affairs Lead, Rhuaraidh Fleming, reflects on how taking part in the inaugural Evidence Week at the Scottish Parliament broke new ground for us at the Centre.

Our first Evidence + Skill Sprints: what we’ve learned and who from

We brought together colleagues from local authorities across Scotland, England and Wales for our first Accelerator sprints, our new intensive offer to help build capacity within local areas to use evidence and data to achieve breakthrough and sustainable results. Here we tell you what we learned, and what’s next for the What Works Community.

Why we must change the way we talk and think about homelessness

Wendy Chamberlain, MP for North East Fife, explains why she has decided to become an ambassador to our End It With Evidence campaign to press for evidence-led change to improve the lives of people who experience or are at risk of homelessness.

Fourth Edition of Evidence and Gap Maps Effectiveness Report highlights encouraging growth in rigorous evidence

There has been encouraging growth in the evidence base, but there are still gaps that need to be filled, particularly in the UK.

Homelessness and the pandemic: London

London brought thousands of people in to safe accommodation during the pandemic but the 'flow' towards street homelessness continued despite significant interventions, writes Rob Anderson

Homelessness and the pandemic: Toronto

Toronto experienced the longest lockdown of any city during the pandemic, which added to severe pressure on its already stretched shelter system' writes Athlyn Cathcart-Keays

First step to defining an end to rough sleeping

What will it mean to end rough sleeping in England? The Centre is working with the UK Government and five local areas to develop a definition of success

Homelessness and the pandemic: Budapest

Hungary's prime minister controversially criminalised street homelessness but during the pandemic Budapest's opposition party mayor took a different approach, writes Linda Butcher

Getting housed didn’t solve all of my problems; it was only the start

To create positive, long term results for people who have experienced homelessness, it is vital to ensure that social support is adequately provided for those who need it.

Homelessness and the pandemic: Paris

When the pandemic struck in Paris, layers of bureaucracy were unclogged and local charities pooled their resources under a single umbrella to support people affected by homelessness, writes Rebecca Rosman

Homelessness and the pandemic: Houston

When Covid-19 swept America, the city of Houston used its experience of responding to natural disasters to protect citizens experiencing homelessness by moving thousands directly into permanent housing, writes Greg Hurst

Homelessness and the pandemic: Tokyo

Tokyo has among the lowest rates of street homelessness in the world but homelessness is widely blamed on individuals and seen as a source of shame, writes Malcolm Foster

Homelessness and the pandemic: San Francisco

San Francisco faced the challenge of keeping people experiencing homelessness safe during the pandemic in a city with 40 large encampments, writes Athlyn Cathcart-Keays

Homelessness: What Can We Learn From Pandemic’s Surprising Success Story?

A report by The Centre for Homelessness Impact and The International Public Policy Observatory (IPPO) suggests there are major policy lessons to be learned in order to tackle homelessness.

Are public attitudes towards homelessness changing?

In a 2021 survey conducted by Ipsos MORI for the Centre for Homelessness Impact, results show that public opinion has hardened towards homelessness, with fewer people concerned about the issue, and a fall in sympathy for people affected by homelessness.

CHI partners with NICE to improve access to health and social care for people experiencing homelessness

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI) have jointly published a guideline on ways to improve access to and engagement with health and social care services for people experiencing homelessness.

Can social investment accelerate an end to homelessness?

The potential for social investment is big. What promise does it hold? Whether it is helping someone off the streets, into work, or tenancy sustainment: any outcome comes with a clear social return. But also a financial one, as we pay out less in costly remedial interventions.

Our key takeaways from the 2021 England street homelessness snapshot

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland snapshot surveys take place each autumn to record the number of people experiencing street homelessness on a given night. Read our key takeaways from the Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2021.

Special Edition of the European Journal of Homelessness

Centre for Homelessness Impact produces a special edition of the European Journal of Homelessness to inspire the next generation of researchers by providing the best examples of robust evaluation and ‘knowledge into practice’ from the Global North.

One-day Homelessness Impact Forum to take place on 27 January

Our Homelessness Impact Forum returns for one day in January and features a fantastic line up of speakers and performers including Andy Burnham, Shona Robison MSP, Julie James MS, Josh LIttlejohn MBE and lived experience experts, journalists, artists and homelessness sector practitioners.

Introducing the UK’s first programme of cash transfers to relieve homelessness

We are pleased to be taking part in a ground-breaking programme which will test out an intervention to support people impacted by or at risk of homelessness.

Smarter investments to end homelessness: what works?

In this moment of great change, if we are to achieve our shared ambition to end homelessness for good, we must use this opportunity to understand how to end it effectively and sustainably.

Reflections of the past year and looking ahead to 2022

As we enter another year of the unknown, we wanted to share some of the highlights of the last 12 months and look ahead at what’s to come in the new year.

Innovation during Covid - wrapping up our 2021 What Works Community

2021 has been an extraordinary year for local authorities tackling homelessness. In this post we hear about What Works Community members’ experiences of bringing innovation and an evidence-based mindset to their homelessness work in the context of the pandemic.

At-a-glance evidence of what works to end homelessness

Summaries of existing research into how to relieve and prevent homelessness are to be published in a series of short papers by the Centre for Homelessness Impact.

Money spent on housing support could be used more effectively, new joint report finds

A new report by the Chartered institute of Housing (CIH) and the Centre for Homelessness Impact highlights that money spent on housing support could be used more effectively.

An evidence-based approach to tackling homelessness health inequalities

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how social inequality has implications for public health: rates of infection were much higher in communities where overcrowded households were more common. We know that the most extreme form of housing inequality is homelessness and it is here that health inequalities have, for decades, been greatest. 

Ending homelessness: What would it take?

Sir Michael Barber, who was head of Tony Blair’s Delivery Unit from 2001-05 and set up a similar unit for Boris Johnson, is to advise the Centre for Homelessness Impact on delivering its mission to support the use of evidence to end homelessness. He explains why.

Ending homelessness must be central to 'levelling up'

Dame Julia Unwin says economic recovery and investing in 'disadvantaged' communities is doomed to fail unless it addresses homelessness

Common barriers to innovative and experimental policymaking in Local Authorities

As we wrap up the second round of our What Works Community programme, we reflect on three problems that crop up time and again.

Centre For Homelessness Impact joins forces with Comic Relief

The Centre For Homelessness Impact (CHI) has forged a new partnership with Comic Relief to accelerate its work to bring a ‘what works’ approach to ending homelessness in more communities across the United Kingdom.

Building a ‘what works’ movement to end homelessness for good

New partnership between Comic Relief and CHI will scale up capacity for evidence-led change.

Time for homelessness services to listen to the individual

MHCLG’s latest evaluation is significant for its rigorous evaluation of a promising model of homelessness prevention. Ligia Teixeira, CEO of The Centre for Homelessness Impact, explains why we should pay attention.

Using evidence to analyse and improve impact

How the homelessness charity Reconnect UK rethought its strategy thanks to one of our evidence surgeries

Radical collaboration to achieve lasting change

Consultant and strategist Lizzie Hodgson offered some inspiration to our What Works Community cohort as we wrapped up the first full year of the programme

Using data and young people's lived experiences to 'design out' homelessness

The chief executive of St Basils describes how weaving data on performance with evidence from our young people’s lived experiences provides a richer, truer picture

Gendered approaches have been neglected for too long within housing policy. It's time for a new approach.

Leanna Fairfax has experienced first-hand the lack of consideration for women experiencing homelessness and violence, here she discusses the importance of a gendered approach to homelessness and housing policy.

Better support needed for women who become homeless because of violence

Based on research published today, CHI and the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) call for responses to women experiencing homelessness and violence, to be “gender-informed.”

Time to look at outcomes, not spending

The public need the tools to determine whether they’re getting value for money, says former Treasury official and Centre for Homelessness Impact chair of trustees Andrew Hudson

Real experiences are vital in the evidence-led transformation of the field

Hannah Green, our Communications and Lived Experiences Specialist, discusses the importance of using real-life stories as evidence to end homelessness.

How sharing international insights can help advance progress on ending homelessness for good

Suzanne Fitzpatrick and Dennis Culhane discuss the importance of evidence to researchers on both sides of the Atlantic, and how these distinct research traditions can collaborate to #EndItWithEvidence.

Introducing innovations: Crowdsourcing the next iteration of our Evidence and Gap Maps

We are proud to be partnering with Cochrane to provide an open platform to help build an evidence base for homelessness.

Not mission impossible: An evidenced-driven approach to ending homelessness is within our grasp

End It With Evidence ambassador Jeremy Swain argues that pragmatic, clear-eyed rigour is needed to end homelessness

The UK's first pilot Randomised Controlled Trial in homelessness

A Randomised Controlled Trial will explore which housing options are most likely to provide positive outcomes for people moving on from COVID-19 emergency accommodation.

End It With Evidence ambassador and Conservative MP, Bob Blackman, says urgent action is needed to prevent a rise in homelessness

End It With Evidence ambassador and Conservative MP Bob Blackman calls for urgent action to prevent a rise in homelessness

What the movement for data and evidence in homelessness could mean for local councils

End It With Evidence ambassador and Labour MP, Stephen Timms, explores the value of adopting an evidence-based approach to policy in his London constituency.

Progress towards ending homelessness in each community can be monitored with new data added to our SHARE reporting platform.

Key homelessness data indicators at local authority level added to SHARE platform

More attention must be paid to homelessness, say three in four of us

New research from the Centre for Homelessness Impact and Ipsos MORI explores the public's perceptions of homelessness.

Where in the world is all the evidence on what works and why in homelessness?

Our updated Evidence Finder shows clearly where studies evaluating homelessness interventions exist.

Greg Hurst joins the CHI team

We are delighted to announce that Greg Hurst has joined the Centre for Homelessness Impact team as Head of Communications and Public Affairs. 

Rent Guarantees could be key to help Universal Credit claimants unlock the private rental market

Landmark collaboration between Centre for Homelessness Impact, NRLA and BIT explores ways to encourage private sector landlords to support tenancies from people receiving Universal Credit.

How can we learn from other fields to help us to end homelessness?

End it with Evidence campaign ambassador Sir Geoff Mulgan CBE shares what the homelessness sector stands to benefit by adopting a data-led approach to ending homelessness.

Updated Evidence and Gap Map on Implementation

The updated 2021 edition shows 275 studies on why interventions to improve the welfare of people experiencing homelessness or at risk work or not.

Improving services starts with people

In this blog for the Chartered Institute of Housing our Lived Experiences Specialist, Hannah Green, talks about developing service based on what works and creating person-led and psychologically informed services.

Homelessness and COVID-19: a comparison of responses in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England

To better understand the different approaches of each UK nation during the pandemic, Nick Bartholdy and Faye Greaves present a detailed comparison of homelessness data and legislation both before and during COVID-19.

How can we improve access for people experiencing homelessness and disability?

In this blog, @bullringbash1 talks about his experiences of homelessness and the additional challenges faced by people with physical health problems and disabilities.

Homelessness Impact: A What Works Perspective

Our first impact report sets out how we are moving towards our vision of improving the lives of people experiencing homelessness through evidence-led change.

What Works Community: Launching a New Cohort

As we kickoff 2021, our resolution is to continue to work towards ending homelesness with evidence. With that in mind, we’re excited to announce our newest cohort of local authorities joining our commitment by participating in our What Works Community Evidence Accelerator and Evidence Academy.

NICE Guideline: Integrated health and social care for people experiencing homelessness

The Centre for Homelessness Impact has worked with NICE and PHE to develop the final scope for an upcoming guideline on Best practice for Integrated health and social care for people experiencing homelessness.

Ending It with evidence from around the globe

Stephen Aldridge, Director for Analysis and Data, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government discusses the Homelessness Research Network and the opportunities for expansion as we move into 2021

Alison Griffin: Making evidence-led change in Southend

Ali Griffin is the Chief Executive at Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and one of our Founding Ambassadors in our #EndItWithEvidence campaign. In this blog, as part of the campaign, she reflects on Southend's involvement in the What Works Community and the importance of evidence and data in ending homelessness. 

2020 - A year unlike any other, but what have we learnt? 

As 2021 approaches, the CHI team reflects on what this year has taught us.

One in six believe that they could be affected by homelessness

A recent survey conducted by Centre for Homelessness Impact and Ipsos MORI polled the public on their perceptions and attitudes towards issues relating to homelessness.

Research Network meeting: July 2020

Read more about July's Homelessness Research Network meeting

Research Network meeting: September 2020

Read more about September's Homelessness Research Network meeting

Research Network meeting: November 2020

Read more about November's Homelessness Research Network meeting

Towards the evidence-led transformation of the homelessness sector

As we launch the End It With Evidence campaign - Our CEO, Dr Ligia Teixeira considers the journey we need to go on together.

What Works Community: Wrapping up the pilot year

As the year and our first What Works Community pilot comes to an end, we take time to reflect on our pilot journey alongside our local authority partners from East Ayrshire, Pembrokeshire, and Southend-on-Sea.

What next for Housing First in Scotland?

Dr Ligia Teixeira reflects on the success of Housing First in Scotland and considers what the sector needs to do next to move towards ending homelessness in Scotland.

What the latest statistics tell us about homelessness trends in Wales

The data team at the Centre for Homelessness Impact looks at the insights from the recent release of homelessness data from Wales.

CHI's statement in response to the Spending Review

The Centre for Homelessness Impact issued the following statement this afternoon following Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Spending Review announcement that an additional £254 million will be available for the next financial year to improve outcomes for people who are homeless.

Systematic Review on Substance Use - Call for Evidence

We're working with the Policy Evaluation and Research Unit at Manchester Metropolitan University to undertake a systematic review of the effectiveness of harm reduction versus abstinence-based substance use interventions for people experiencing homelessness.

“Discharged back to the streets”: how can we ensure people leaving institutions have a home?

In order for us to work towards an evidence-based end to homelessness, tackling the causes, minimising and eventually eliminating the effects, it is vital that we look at all routes into homelessness. 

This is what it's like to stay in a 'high risk homeless hostel'

Our Lived Experience Specialist Hannah Green reflects on the findings of our Systematic Review on Accommodation, and shares her experiences of living in temporary accommodation.

Accommodation-based programmes for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness

In order to design and deliver quality accommodation based interventions, it is vital that we produce more rigorous evidence in the UK so the sector can deliver services that are truly beneficial to the people receiving them. 

Evidence shows support crucial to ending homelessness

The Systematic Review on Accommodation released today by the Centre for Homelessness Impact shows that for many people experiencing homelessness, personalised support is crucial in order to successfully avoid returning to homelessness. 

Updated Evidence and Gap Map shows increase in homelessness studies

Today we release the third iteration of our evidence and gap map (EGM) on effectiveness. This version of the EGM confirms that the tide may be turning when it comes to the use of evidence in homelessness.

Does awareness raising really work?

Each year on the 10th October, both World Homeless Day and World Mental Health Day are used as tools to try and increase awareness and understanding, but do these days actually work? 

Good quality employment whilst experiencing homelessness: is it possible?

The relationship between homelessness and employment is a complex one and many people find themselves experiencing homelessness whilst still in employment. Often, those who are not employed but want to, are unable to for a variety of reasons, for example if they don’t have access to a bank account. 

Personalised employment support essential to stem homelessness as furlough ends

Today the Centre for Homelessness Impact releases a new policy paper: Employment and homelessness in the context of the new economy following Covid-19.

Centre for Homelessness Impact and Cardiff University lead new major trial

The Centre for Homelessness Impact in partnership with Cardiff University has been awarded funding to deliver an innovative study evaluating the effectiveness of local authority responses to homelessness following COVID-19.

How can the media help us end homelessness?

During our Impact Festival we held a discussion with a panel of journalists on the role the media plays in ending homelessness. Here, our Lived Experiences Specialist Hannah Green explores that question further.

Systematic review: Do discharge programmes reduce the likelihood of homelessness?

Our Head of Evidence and Data, Guillermo Rodriguez-Guzman, shares key findings from our systematic review, on the effectiveness of discharge programmes for individuals experiencing, or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

Evictions ban: where to now?

The ban on possession proceedings in England and Wales has been extended until 20th September. It will be important to use the next four weeks wisely to stop evictions leading to a rise in homelessness, explains CHI’s CEO Dr Ligia Teixeira.

Impact Festival 2020 Highlights

In this blog post our Lived Experiences Specialist, Hannah Green, picks out the teams personal highlights along with the key take-home messages

Accelerating impact: reflections on the Impact Festival 2020

Over the past 5 weeks, we've held over 50 events, hearing from over 150 speakers who made the space in their busy diaries to join us. In this blog post our CEO Dr Ligia Teixeira reflects on the Festival and what’s next to come.

Impact Festival: week four in summary

Our Lived Experience Specialist, Hannah Green, shares her learning from week four of the Impact Festival – where we explored the importance of connecting people with place, and with each other.

Local Authorities invited to improve their homelessness services using data and evidence

The Centre for Homelessness Impact is recruiting local authorities to join their What Works Community: Local Government initiative which will focus on evidence-led methods of ending and preventing homelessness.

What the latest street homelessness statistics in London tell us about how the population is changing

Our Evidence and Data team explore some of the trends in the newly released figures for street homelessness in London (CHAIN data), and suggest some areas to focus on as we move into the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact Festival: a summary of week two

How do we create a housing system that leaves no one behind? We brought 27 speakers together across six events to put an intersectional lens on not just improving availability and access to housing, but making sure the housing we have is of sufficient quality and appropriate to people's needs.

Impact Festival: a summary of our first week

The first week of our Impact Festival included a total of 13 events, with 32 different speakers. It focused on the ‘S’ of our SHARE framework; designing smart policies and programmes.

It's time to make an Impact: Impact Festival kicks off on Monday

With speakers including Minister Julie James, John Kay and David Halpern, you won't want to miss week one of the Impact Festival.

Introducing the 2020 Homelessness Impact Festival

Dr Ligia Teixeira shares her vision for the 2020 Impact Festival

Introducing Hannah Green - CHI's Lived Experience Specialist

The Centre for Homelessness Impact's new Lived Experience Specialist introduces herself and her vision for the future.