Lígia Teixeira highlights the need for better data and better use of evidence in tackling homelessness in the UK, as well as the urgency surrounding relevant policy-making in the context of COVID-19

Teixeira, Ligia

English

LSE Research Online

COVID-19	nearly	ended	homelessness	in	the	UK	–	toend	it	for	good	we	need	more	and	better	dataLígia	Teixeira	highlights	the	need	for	better	data	and	better	use	of	evidence	in	tacklinghomelessness	in	the	UK,	as	well	as	the	urgency	surrounding	relevant	policy-making	in	the	contextof	COVID-19.COVID-19	came	at	a	time	when	homelessness	remained	stubbornly	high	in	many	parts	of	the	UK.While	the	situation	had	improved	significantly	since	the	mid-1960s,	too	many	people	remainedwithout	a	home.	But	then	on	March	27,	Westminster	called	for	all	street	homeless	people	to	be	housed	within	days:an	ambition	long-held	by	the	entire	homelessness	sector	was	achieved	almost	overnight.While	this	was	only	a	temporary	solution	to	a	complex	problem,	the	crisis	offers	a	rare	opportunity	to	transform	thehomelessness	system	for	good.	An	effective	way	of	achieving	such	a	step	change	would	be	by	focusing	on	whatworks;	in	other	words,	by	finding	and	funding	solutions	backed	by	evidence	and	data.	As	we	highlight	in	our	newbook,	Using	Evidence	to	End	Homelessness,	the	UK	spends	a	significant	amount	on	homelessness	services,	butvery	little	on	learning	which	policies	and	interventions	work.	Rigorous	evaluations	of	homelessness	policy	areexceedingly	rare.	The	vast	majority	of	the	227	studies	in	our	Evidence	and	Gap	Map	of	Effectiveness	studies	arefrom	the	US;	only	12	of	them	are	from	the	UK.Yet	data	and	rigorous	evidence	ought	to	be	a	routine	part	of	government	operations,	used	to	drive	improvements	topolicies	and	services	aimed	at	helping	people	access	and	maintain	stable,	affordable	housing.	The	good	news	isthat	the	UK	had	already	taken	important	steps	towards	accomplishing	such	a	vision,	but	much	remains	to	be	done,not	least	in	the	light	of	COVID-19.So	how	do	we	ensure	that	we	do	not	revert	back	to	‘business	as	usual’	after	the	lockdown?	How	might	we	bringabout	a	transformation	of	the	homelessness	sector?	Our	proposed	methods	are	threefold:First,	improve	the	speed	and	quality	of	response	by	strengthening	data	foundations	and	data	practices.	Theestablishment	of	better	foundations	around	data	collection,	architecture,	and	analysis	would	allow	better	insight	intothe	phenomenon	of	homelessness	and	improve	our	ability	to	predict	for	whom,	when,	where	and	whyhomelessness	may	be	an	issue.	It	would	enable	us	to	respond	faster	and	target	efforts	more	effectively.	We	need	tofigure	out	what	data	is	needed	to	support	evaluation,	research	and	development,	and	programme	management,and	advocate	for	collecting	it.In	England,	this	work	would	build	on	the	efforts	that	the	Ministry	of	Housing,	Communities	and	Local	Governmenthas	made	to	improve	the	quality	of	homelessness	data	through	the	H-CLIC	system,	which	creates	opportunities	forlinking	personal-level	data	with	other	administrative	data	in	order	to	better	understand	the	impact	of	policyinterventions	at	a	lower	cost.Second,	enable	smarter	decision-making	by	building	evidence	about	the	policies	and	interventions	that	will	achievethe	most	effective	and	efficient	results.	There	is	currently	surprisingly	little	rigorous	research	on	homelessnesspolicy	and	programmes.	Though	some	things	we	do	are	effective,	there	is	a	lot	we	don’t	know.	That’s	inevitable.What	isn’t	inevitable	—	and	where	the	real	problems	lie	—	is	assuming,	without	evidence,	that	policies	work.Examples	of	evaluation	using	experimental	and	quasi-experimental	methods,	like	the	Troubled	Families	and	RoughSleepers	Initiatives,	are	still	rare.	We	need	more	and	better	experiments	and	systematic	reviews,	to	identify	whichinterventions	are	effective	and	cost-effective	in	addressing	homelessness.Third,	upskill	the	workforce	and	nurture	evidence-based	leadership	to	strengthen	our	capacity	to	act	on	robustevidence	and	insight.	It’s	hard	to	rid	ourselves	of	practices	that	are	informed	by	little	more	than	wishful	thinking	andto	end	policies	that	don’t	work.	But	that	is	what	we	must	do	to	ensure	that	efforts	are	effective.	The	first	step	wouldbe	to	do	more	rigorous	policy	evaluations.	The	next	would	be	to	heed	them.	This	will	require	a	shift	in	culture	andmindsets;	developing	new	behaviours	around	the	use	of	data	and	evidence	and	a	deep	appreciation	for	learning.British Politics and Policy at LSE: COVID-19 nearly ended homelessness in the UK – to end it for good we need more and better data Page 1 of 2		Date originally posted: 2020-06-25Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/homelessness-data/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/Shifting	the	homelessness	system	towards	a	‘what	works’	approach	will	not	happen	overnight.	Other	changes	willalso	need	to	happen:	together	with	evidence-based	approaches	there	is	a	need	for	housing	reforms,	a	need	toaddress	the	root	causes	of	poverty,	and	to	protect	our	social	safety.	But	the	crisis	is	still	deepening	around	us,	andnumbers	may	be	worse	in	a	year’s	time	unless	decisive	action	continues.	The	worst	thing	we	could	do	now	wouldbe	to	simply	return	to	the	way	things	were	before,	rather	than	build	better:	we	have	before	us	a	very	rareopportunity	to	reboot	the	entire	homelessness	system	and	revolutionise	it	for	the	better.___________________About	the	AuthorLígia	Teixeira	is	CEO	of	Centre	for	Homelessness	Impact	and	editor	of	Using	Evidence	to	EndHomelessness.		All	articles	posted	on	this	blog	give	the	views	of	the	author(s),	and	not	the	position	of	LSE	British	Politics	and	Policy,nor	of	the	London	School	of	Economics	and	Political	Science.	Featured	image	credit:	by	Jozsef	Hocza	onUnsplash.British Politics and Policy at LSE: COVID-19 nearly ended homelessness in the UK – to end it for good we need more and better data Page 2 of 2		Date originally posted: 2020-06-25Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/homelessness-data/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/

COVID-19 nearly ended homelessness in the UK – to end it for good we need more and better data

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COVID-19 nearly ended homelessness in the UK – to end it for good we need more and better data

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