Homelessness Research Network

Sharing the latest research on what works

Our research network brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to share insights and generate evidence-based solutions in regular meetings throughout the year. By leveraging the latest technology and methodologies, we aim to make a meaningful impact on the lives of those affected by homelessness.

How does the Research Network work?

The Research Network is constituted of over 300 individuals conducting or interested in research broadly relevant to homelessness both inside and outside of the United Kingdom. Our meetings, consisting of 2-3 research presentations and dedicated time for discussion, are held bi-monthly; these 1.5-hour Zoom sessions offer a space for members to learn about the latest research, to hone ideas, to share resources or methodological approaches, and to create a community of people working to render homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurrent.

The network is free to join and open to anyone interested in learning about the latest research in this field. If you or your team have something to contribute, get in touch.

Developed in collaboration with

Upcoming Events

November 22, 2024

Research Network: Evidence for ending the criminalisation of homelessness

In this latest Research Network meeting, we'll explore the evidence for ending the criminalisation of homelessness. We'll be joined by: - Prof Olivier de Schutter, Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights for the United Nations - Dr Melissa Jogie, Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Roehampton and Policy Fellow at the Centre for Homelessness Impact

Find out more ↗

Become a member of the Research Network

There are many benefits to becoming a member of the Research Network. Follow the link below to fill out a membership form.

Join the network
1

Join a growing number of people adopting a learning culture

2

Connect with other people with an interest in housing and homelessness in one space, which is vital to providing best housing practice and research

3

Find out more about how to implement the evidence into your practice, maximising the positive impacts of our research

4

Be a part of a movement that is working to end homelessness by following the evidence on what works

Past Event Recordings

July 2024 The Private Rental Sector

Theme: Discussions on private renting and homelessness

Presentation 1:

Dr. Jessica Lasky-Fink, Research Director at The People Lab at Harvard Kennedy School

Presentation 2:

Prof. Ken Gibb, Professor of Housing Economics (Urban Studies) at the University of Glasgow

Presentation 3:

Prof. Gregg Colburn, Associate Professor in the Runstad Department of Real Estate at the University of Washington

Go to video recording ↗

May 2024 landmark pieces of research and policy

Theme: Highlighting several landmark pieces of research and policy

Presentation 1:

Dr. Margot Kushel, Director of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative

Presentation 2:

Dr. Beth Watts-Cobbe, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Social Policy, Housing and Equalities Research at Heriot-Watt University.

Presentation 3:

Niamh Flannigan, Implementation Lead at the Centre for Homelessness Impact.

Go to video recording ↗

April 2024 Test and Learn

Theme: Test and Learn

Presentation 1: 

Guillermo Rodríguez-Guzmán, Director of Evidence and Data at the Centre for Homelessness Impact

Presentation 2: 

Rebecca Jackson, Programme Lead at the Centre for Homelessness Impact and Peter Sakis, Senior Consultant at Ipsos Policy and Evaluation Unit (Social Policy)

Presentation 3: 

Dr Abby Kendrick, Evidence and Data Lead at the Centre for Homelessness Impact, and Vanessa Hirneis, Research Assistant at the Policy Institute, King’s College London.

Go to video recording ↗

28 March 2024 Hidden Homeless

Theme: 'Hidden Homelessness'

Presentation 1: Dr. Hope Harvey, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the University of Kentucky
‘Why Families Form Shared Households’

Presentation 2: Dr. Molly Richard, Postdoctoral Scholar at the Center for Innovation in Social Science at Boston University
‘Community-Level Predictors of Doubled-Up Homelessness’

Presentation 3: Heather McCluskey, Implementation Lead at the Center for Homelessness Impact
‘Better Data Better Results’

Go to video recording ↗

7 December 2023

Theme: Homelessness, Housing Insecurity and Children

Presentation 1: A Comprehensive Demographic Profile of the US Evicted Population -Dr. Nick Graetz, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Eviction Lab at Princeton University

Presentation 2: A Citizen Science Approach to Identifying Indoor Environmental Barriers to Optimal Heath for under 5s Experiencing Homelessness in Temporary Accommodation-Diana Margot Rosenthal, PhD Candidtate and Researcher at University College London

Presentation 3: Unaccompanied Children and Young Adults Served by California's - Dr Ray Finnigan, Associate Research Director at the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley

Go to video recording ↗

21 September 2023

Theme: Healthcare, homelessness and stigma

Presentation 1: Social relationships, stigma, and wellbeing through experiences of homelessness in the United Kingdom -Dr. Jessica Rea, Lecturer at University College London

Presentation 2: How to improve access to healthcare for women experiencing homelessness in Northern Ireland  -Sarah McNeill, PhD Student at Queen’s University Belfast

Presentation 3: HALT - a tool for the primary care toolkit- Dr Alexandra Huey, Queen’s University Belfast

Go to video recording ↗

7 July 2023

Theme: Supported housing and homelessness

Presentation 1: Assessing Racial Heterogeneity in Housing-Based Supports’ Effectiveness among older adults experiencing homelessness: evidence from Los Angeles County- Jared Schachner, Research Scientist at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

Presentation 2: An overview of the supported housing system in England - Helen Hodgson, Director, Housing, Communities and Local Government Value for Money

Presentation 3: DLUHC and DWP supported housing research project - Christina Beatty, Professor of Applied Economic Geography In the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University

Presentation 4: The supported housing sector’s impact on homelessness prevention and health and wellbeing - Dean McGlynn, External Affairs Manager at the National Housing Federation

Go to video recording ↗

15 May 2023

Theme: Young people and homelessness

Presentation 1: Making the Shift: Transforming responses to youth homelessness in Canada - Stephen Gaetz, Professor in the Faculty of Education, York University, and Melanie Redman, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of A Way Home Canada.

Presentation 2: Living or surviving? Benefits, barriers, and opportunities for young people transitioning out of homelessness - Katherine Hill, Senior Research Associate at the Centre forResearch in Social Policy at Loughborough University.

Presentation 3: Research Update: Nightstop Evaluation - Beth Woods, Evaluation Manager at Depaul UK

Go to video recording ↗

16 March 2023

Theme: Ethnic inequalities and homelessness in the UK

Presentation 1: Ethnic inequalities and homelessness in the UK -Professor Nissa Finney, University of St. Andrews

Presentation 2: Homelessness amongst Black and minoritised ethnic communities in the UK: a statistical report on the state of the nation  -Professor Glen Bramley, I-SPHERE at Heriot-Watt University

Presentation 3: Racism and homelessness research -Sophie D’Souza, and Michael Allard, Crisis

Go to video recording ↗

13 January 2023

Presentations 1: Hidden Homelessness - Neil Preddy, Trustee, Oxfordshire Community Foundation and Vice Chair, Oxfordshire Homeless Movement

Presentation 2: Acrylic nails, hairdryers and a sea view:  embodied everyday experiences of homeless women - Harriet Earle-Brown

Presentation 3: Understanding the health of people with overlapping experiences of homelessness, justice involvement, problem drug use, and psychosis: Lessons from administrative data’ - Emily Tweed

Go to video recording ↗

July 2022

Presentation 1: Homelessness Reduction Act research - Francesca Albanese and Michael Allard, Crisis

Presentation 2: Social Innovation in Preventing Homelessness amongst Young People in Canada and Wales: International Engagement as a Key Driver - Andrew Connell, Salvation Army, and Jack Price, Wales Centre for Public Policy

Go to video recording ↗

November 2021

Presentation 1: The role of housing assistance for people leaving prison - Dr Chris Martin, University of New South Wales

Presentation 2: Lost points of intervention in pathways to single homelessness in Hamilton, New Zealand - Carole McMinn, The People’s Project, and Dr Polly Atatoa-Carr, National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis, University of Waikato

Go to video recording ↗

July 2021

Presentation 1: Findings of the recent Rough Sleeping Questionnaire - Dr Lucy Spurling, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Presentation 2: Creating a Data-Driven Homeless Response System – How Houston collects, integrates and utilises data to maximise coordination, improve accountability and reduce homelessness - Marc Eichenbaum, City of Houston, Texas


Go to video recording ↗

5 May 2021

Presentation 1: Rent Better : research on the impact of the Private Residential Tenancy in Scotland, funded by the Nationwide Foundation - Anna Evans, Director, Indigo House.

Presentation 2: Aspire Social Impact Bond (Aspire SIB) - Australia's first homelessness focussed SIB - Jessica Dobrovic, Senior Analyst, Hutt St Centre - Adelaide


Go to video recording ↗

March21

Presentation 1: Predicting Suicide, Domestic Violence, and Homelessness During Covid - Dr. Alina Turner, Co-President at HelpSeeker

Presentation 2: The findings of a trial to incentivise landlords to rent their properties to people who receive social benefits - Guillermo Rodríguez-Guzmán, Head of Evidence and Data, Centre for Homelessness Impact

Go to video recording ↗

November 2021

Presentation 1: The role of housing assistance for people leaving prison - Dr Chris Martin, University of New South Wales

Presentation 2: Lost points of intervention in pathways to single homelessness in Hamilton, New Zealand - Carole McMinn, The People's Project, and Dr Polly Atatoa-Carr, National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis, University of Waikato



Go to video recording ↗