The data captured through In-Form, our case management solution, has the potential to contribute to research that will help us better understand what works to help people experiencing homelessness, and be integral to the evidence we need to influence change with national government.
Cate Standing-Tattersall from the Homeless Link Research Team tells us about a groundbreaking new research project and how your service can be part of it.
Homeless Link, in partnership with UCL, Salford University, Expert Focus and UKHSA, are undertaking a ground-breaking health research project that aims to link In-Form data with health data to provide the evidence needed to convince DHSC, Treasury, local NHS Trusts, and wider health services, that they must play their role in funding and supporting services for people experiencing homelessness.
People experiencing homelessness and those working in frontline services are all too aware of how all forms of homelessness can impact on health, how ill health (both physical and mental) can drive people into homelessness, and how different types of support can make a big difference to health outcomes.
Across all forms of health care needs, as well as access to necessary support, people experiencing homelessness report poorer diagnoses and greater barriers to the healthcare needed than the general population.
Research from Homeless Link’s Unhealthy State of Homelessness report found that 82% of people experiencing homelessness have a mental health diagnosis, compared with a national population average of 12%.
The wider crisis in public services funding and capacity has made the homelessness sector the last line of defence – a shadow health and social care sector expected to support high and increasing numbers of people with a growing complexity of needs. Our latest edition of Support to End Homelessness found that 100% of homelessness accommodation providers and 92% of day services faced barriers when trying to access mental health services for their clients.
We must understand why this health disparity exists and address the systemic change needed. Experiencing homelessness should not mean that someone is unable to access the healthcare they need. Nor should it mean we accept poorer health outcomes and growing health inequalities. Homelessness is a health issue and we must respond accordingly.
But we are lacking the hard evidence that convinces policy makers, healthcare services, and national government to take this seriously and invest in the resources needed. While there are focused studies on health and homelessness, homelessness mortality data, and insights from health inclusion services, we don’t have a holistic overview of how different forms of homelessness impact on health, and the role that homelessness services play. If we could evidence how different types of services help different individuals, we could put forward an argument that was impossible to ignore.
So what if we could find a way to use some of the data you’re collecting to shape and drive change for people experiencing homelessness?
This is the aim of the HOME study, or Housing Model Evaluation. Through linking homelessness data from our In-Form case management and client relationship system with health data, we will gain a depth of insight that we’ve never had before. We will learn how different experiences of homelessness, and different accommodation models, impact on the health of people experiencing homelessness.
In-Form is one of our best data sources to help us better understand the profile of people experiencing homelessness, their experiences with different services, and the outcomes that are achieved.
The aim of the project is to use data collected on In-Form by homeless accommodation services and link this to national health databases (e.g. hospital episodes and death records). Because In-Form is used by different accommodation and service types it will help us understand how health outcomes change depending on who is in what housing setting, how different models help to improve health outcomes, the impact of people not being able to access suitable housing options and more.
So how can you find out more details about the project, or ask any questions you might have?
You can find out more about the project by attending one of our monthly webinars or by getting in touch with Cate. You can also read the FAQs which provide more detailed information on the project and what involvement would look like for your organisation.
In-Form and the data collected by services are critical to the success of this project. The data sitting across all In-Form users has the potential to change our understanding of homelessness health and what’s needed. We hope you and your organisation will be part of this pioneering project to influence system change at the national level and shape and drive change for people experiencing homelessness.