Project Info
Project Description
The definition of homelessness encompasses not only those who sleep on the streets but also those who lack stable housing and live in temporary or insecure housing conditions. Individuals in transitional accommodations or shelters are also classified as homeless.
Additionally, those who are at risk of homelessness are included, such as those who currently have satisfactory housing but face the possibility of losing it due to a lack of employment or other sources of income.
An Evidence and Gap Map of Studies of the Effectiveness for Those Affected by and at Risk of Homelessness in High‐Income Countries
Funder: Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI)
©Bobulix
Background
We are collaborating with the Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI) to provide policy makers and practitioners with evidence-based recommendations on What Works to enhance the well-being of people experiencing homelessness. Evidence and Gap Maps (EGMs) serve as an initial step towards creating the necessary evidence framework to effectively address homelessness.
This map concentrates on systematic reviews and impact evaluations of interventions aimed at addressing homelessness. It presents pertinent evidence in an interactive online matrix that identifies areas where there is evidence for various intervention categories and their effects on different outcomes.
Approach
The initial report and map of this study were generated in 2018. Since then, we have been providing yearly updates to the review, incorporating additional studies added each year. To date, we have developed five updated versions of this map, with the first (2018), second (2019), third (2020), and fourth (2021) editions comprising 221, 260, 394, 562 studies and 690 studies respectively.
What we found
- The Effectiveness Map 5th edition has 690 studies, including 132 new ones.
- Majority of the studies are from North America and focus on health-related and accommodation interventions.
- Outcomes mainly focus on health, housing stability, and wellbeing, with few studies on crime and justice.
- Many studies are rated as low in overall confidence.
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Lead Author: Sabina Singh
An Evidence and Gap Map of Studies of Implementation Issues for Interventions for Those Affected by and at Risk of Homelessness
Funder: Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI)
Background
©Denis Bin
The primary objective of this map is to highlight implementation-related factors that are crucial to the effective delivery of homelessness interventions, aiding decision-makers in assessing the evidence.
This map is unique in its methodology and presents a groundbreaking approach to qualitative studies. It endeavors to encompass relevant studies that focus on implementation issues, such as formative and process evaluations, in the context of homelessness.
Approach
The initial report and map of this study were produced in 2020, and we have since been updating it annually to include additional studies. We have completed three editions of the map thus far. The first edition identified only 246 relevant studies worldwide. However, the Implementation Map has grown significantly since then, with the current version including 407 studies.
A noteworthy 62% of these studies were published after 2014, indicating a positive trend of increasing qualitative evidence on the efficacy of interventions addressing homelessness. UK-based studies have also increased by 62% since 2014, representing 28% of the global evidence base.
What we found
- The Implementation Map covers studies from different regions, with a majority from North America and Western Europe.
- The studies primarily address implementation challenges in interventions for homelessness, with a focus on health services and Housing First.
- However, the overall confidence level in the findings of these studies is low.
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Lead Author: Sabina Singh
