Cordis Bright is pleased to be working with the Centre for Homelessness Impact and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on a system-wide evaluation of the ministry’s homelessness provision. Here we provide some information about the scope of the evaluation and our role in it, and links to outputs as they are published.

About the evaluation

The system-wide evaluation (SWE) of homelessness is part of a three-year, £15 million initiative commissioned by MHCLG to examine the effectiveness of their provision and to test the impact of a range of innovative ways to reduce homelessness and rough sleeping.

The number of individuals who are rough sleeping and families in temporary accommodation not only has a detrimental impact on those affected but also presents a significant, growing challenge to government. Homelessness and rough sleeping are the result of several, interlocking factors and therefore addressing them needs a comprehensive, whole-system approach. This evaluation of homelessness and rough sleeping for MCHLG is the first time any government has invested in identifying the systemic impact of its policies and resource allocation. It is the first of its kind to look at the interactions of the significant number and variety of drivers of homelessness and rough sleeping, and the influence on HRS of policies across government. The project started in September 2023 and runs until December 2026.

Cordis Bright is working with the consortium lead, the Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI), and another consultancy firm, RSM, on this ground-breaking research. We are all working to identify opportunities for ambitious change by asking the following overarching questions:

1. How do the different interventions made by the Government contribute to homelessness and rough sleeping outcomes?
2. How do the different parts of the system work together, or not?
3. How might the system be optimised to improve outcomes and value for money?

What is Cordis Bright’s role?

Cordis Bright was invited by CHI to join its consortium based on our experience and expertise in applying systems approaches to complex, social challenges, and to the evaluation of programmes of work designed to address them. We were involved in developing the proposal which was awarded the evaluation contract, couching all the evaluation activities within a system framework. We view systems thinking as a useful tool for examining and organising work on complex issues such as homelessness and rough sleeping.

Taking a systems approach to homelessness and rough sleeping

Working closely with CHI, RSM and MHCLG, we are responsible for anchoring the evaluation in systems thinking. This includes ensuring that all evaluation activities such as policy analysis and stakeholder interviews, consider the multiple individuals, organisations, activities and the wider political, social, and economic contexts that affect homelessness and rough sleeping. It also means that the research takes account of systems characteristics such as the interconnectedness of factors driving homelessness and rough sleeping and measures to mitigate them; looking for non-linear ‘feedback’ responses such as potential unintended consequences of policies or the way they are implemented, because it is not easy to predict how elements of the system will react to change.

Identifying policies’ ‘levels’ in the system

One element of our systems approach to MHCLG’s work on homelessness has been to plot existing homelessness and rough sleeping policies, programmes and interventions against the Intervention Level Framework. This analysis demonstrated starkly that there is an emphasis in existing government-funded policy/programmes on crisis relief and the provision of services, and less so on longer-term prevention to tackle the root causes of homelessness and rough sleeping at a system-level.

System mapping

Our first task in the evaluation was to repurpose CHI’s existing system map of the drivers of homelessness and rough sleeping for the system-wide evaluation. We use system mapping as a valuable way of depicting the numerous, intertwined causal forces driving a complex problem such as homelessness.

We worked with a wide range of experts including representatives from local authorities and central government, academia, and voluntary and community sector organisations, to generate a comprehensive, usable system map showing the drivers of homelessness and rough sleeping. As a collective, participatory activity, system mapping draws on the mental models of participants to identify chains of causation and points for action.

We have used the system map to identify where there is already policy activity, who is accountable for the various domains linked to homelessness and rough sleeping, and potential effects of further activity. There is value not just in the product – the system map – but also in the process of creating it, where different stakeholders can see their relationship with others working to help address homelessness. The map itself is also being used to identify, with CHI and MHCLG, areas for further investigation as the evaluation progresses.

‘Deep dives’

We worked with consortium colleagues on a ‘deep dive’ into the relationship between homelessness and rough sleeping and the criminal justice system (CJS). This was drawn out of the system map, in conjunction with additional data on the link between being involved in the criminal justice system and being homeless, and between homelessness and crime.

For this deep dive, we developed a system map focusing on the intersection of the criminal justice system and the homelessness and rough sleeping system, with a specific focus on the routes into accommodation, or homelessness, for adults leaving prison in England. The map explores the range of different pathways available, and how this influences the complexity of the system. Exploration of the map highlighted that pathways out of prison are often unclear, variable, and overlapping. They are dependent on the availability of services and accommodation options, which vary by geographical area, as well as subjective interpretations of rules or criteria by the multiple different agencies operating within the system. This underlines the need for greater consistency in application of eligibility criteria throughout the various pathways.

The report from this deep dive investigates how interactions between the criminal justice system and homelessness influence the risk of rough sleeping. It explores pathways from prison into accommodation or homelessness, highlights structural barriers and service gaps, and examines how individual circumstances and demographics shape outcomes. It identifies what is working well and less well and provides policy insights to improve support for people leaving prison. ​

Additional outputs from this deep dive include an evaluation of the accommodation for ex-offenders programme, reviewing how the programme has been delivered and its early impact on housing stability for people leaving prison; and a rapid evidence assessment on the interaction between the criminal justice system and homelessness and rough sleeping. ​

As the evaluation progresses, other topics will be chosen for deeper investigation.

Further outputs

MHCLG has published the preliminary findings from the evaluation. Our contributions to this stem from a rebuild of CHI’s original system map of homelessness prevention, which formed the foundation of the evaluation activities by helping to define its scope. They also include classifying major homelessness and rough sleeping policies, programmes and interventions being funded by the government and others using the Intervention Level Framework (see above) and conducting qualitative fieldwork and analysis with our evaluation partners.

Findings from the evaluation have been used to inform the government’s National Plan to End Homelessness, highlighting an over-emphasis on crisis relief rather than longer-term solutions that we know work, such as Housing First, or focusing on prevention. The Plan sets out ​the government’s long-term vision to end homelessness and rough sleeping, with actions to tackle the causes of homelessness including building more homes, addressing poverty and putting prevention at the heart of services - underpinned by a transformed accountability system. ​

Additional outputs from the evaluation include:

• A social housing allocations report which examines how social housing allocation policies and practices influence homelessness and rough sleeping and identifies areas where policy and practice could be adapted to better prevent homelessness.
• ​A supported housing report which focuses on the ways funding, commissioning and delivery influence outcomes and identifies policy insights to strengthen supported housing provision and its contribution to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. ​
• ​A report on the interaction with the asylum system, which examines how aspects of asylum policy and practice intersect with the homelessness and rough sleeping system, focusing on the transition from asylum accommodation, eligibility for housing assistance, and integration into the community.

For more information about the evaluation, please contact Helen Todd at helentodd@cordisbright.co.uk