Originally published at Clore Social and Crisis Blog on January 20 2017, to coincide with the publication of the feasibility study. 

Crisis and Glasgow Homelessness Network have announced their intention to create a new dedicated body to improve the lives of people affected by homelessness by instigating a shift in resources to evidence-based solutions. Ligia Teixeira explains why.

For the past few months I’ve been working on a project to build the case for a new Centre for Homelessness Impact. Today we release the feasibility study that is the culmination of an intense six-month project. It’s an exciting moment for us, and I wanted to explain why.

Since Crisis was created nearly 50 years ago, we have used a variety of strategies to end homelessness, from campaigning and lobbying to delivering services directly, and producing evidence on the causes and consequences, the latest trends, and the scale of the issue.

Things have changed significantly since the mid-1960s, when homelessness first made it into the national consciousness. But the pace of change has not kept up with wider scientific and technological developments. In fields like international development, early years, or education we’ve improved our understanding of what works by applying scientific methods and a culture shift towards evidence-based practices. In order to accelerate progress towards a future without homelessness we must do the same.

Crisis joined forces with GHN, and with the support of Clore Social, created a new idea to achieve this by focusing on what works by finding and funding solutions backed by evidence and data. That’s a challenge. The evidence is often weak or lacking, and in the rare examples where a programme has been tested to see if it worked the results are often ignored.

That’s why we need a new organisation that is sector led and owned to help make the use of evidence the right thing to do — it becomes the ‘new normal’. To help ensure that our values aren’t only articulated in our efforts but in our outcomes. It’s a simple idea, but with the potential to make a significant impact.

So, to explore the desirability and feasibility of the concept we had hundreds of rich conversations with both people working towards ending homelessness and change-makers championing evidence-based practice in other fields. We gained valuable insights that shaped our proposals which we share in the report published today. We have been encouraged by the widespread support for the concept and feel there’s a unique opportunity to make this vision a reality.

Why now? Because over recent years we’ve learned a few things about what it takes to tackle today’s toughest systemic challenges. Ending homelessness faster and more effectively requires a few important culture shifts. We need to:

• ‍Take a whole government approach and we must break out of siloed service and policy practices. The homelessness sector alone cannot end homelessness. It requires putting the issue on the map in areas like education, health or criminal justice
•  Build capacity and take an interdisciplinary, deeply collaborative approach. This is a challenge. Professionals need support to apply evidence in real-life scenarios and existing funding mechanisms by and large promote competition rather than focusing on tailored solutions and effectiveness
• Directly fund interventions and programmes with the best evidence behind them. To improve positive impact we need to be able to do the right things well
• Engage people affected by homelessness more effectively in all our efforts, bring their perspectives and experiences to the heart of policy and practice. Solutions that are grounded only on the experiences of professionals and ignore the user voice and evidence are no solutions at all

With the new Centre, we’re hoping to start addressing some of these issues. We’re not naive; we know it won’t be a silver bullet. Other things will also need to happen: Alongside the need for housing reforms, addressing the root causes of poverty, and protecting our social safety evidence-based approaches are an important part of the solution to homelessness.

It’s no surprise that currently there is public skepticism about the sector’s ability to end or even significantly reduce homelessness, or positively engage with people affected by homelessness who refuse ‘standard offers’ for help. Making policy and funding decisions based on the best possible evidence and holding mainstream services accountable will help restore confidence.

This is therefore a critical moment to consider what is needed to build on our international reputation for preventing and tackling homelessness. We think Scotland is the ideal place to begin. Scotland has taken larger strides to end homelessness than most other countries, its rights-based and assets-based approach to homelessness is widely recognised and a Centre for Homelessness Impact it will provide a further model for others to follow.

This study is just the beginning of a long journey but it does show that there is both a need and a demand for a new organisation. We’re now seeking funding for the project, with a view to opening the new Centre later this year.

Crisis and GHN hope that the new Centre, by bringing everyone to the party who feels the same way, will make us faster, more effective, and able to ground our solutions in the needs and voices of people affected by the problem.

Full report here