1. Housing First and Housing Led
The Evidence from Europe and Beyond

2. A lot of what we already do ends homelessness

3. Existing services work
Last year of data on Supporting People in England 2010/11
119,200 people entered short-term services with housing needs, 73% housed at exit
St Mungos, London
Nearly 11,000 single homeless people, 77% into housing
Liverpool City Region, 2017
March March 2017, 9,000 single homeless people, 60% into housing

4. Housing First has often been compared with other homelessness services that are not widespread in the UK

5. American/European Comparisons
Housing First ending homelessness for 75%-80% of people with high and complex needs for 1 year plus
Compared to 40-60% for ‘treatment as usual’
Housing First is more cost effective
But ‘treatment as usual’ is often abstinence based, strict regime, limited service user choice
Different from a lot of UK services

6. Housing First stops homelessness but there are questions around other support needs

7. Does not solve everything
High success in stopping homelessness
But its not 100%, typically around 80%, ranges between 70%-90%
Outcomes in social integration more variable
Same with drugs and alcohol
And with mental and physical health

8. International use Federal strategy in the USA and in Canada
Housing First England being led by Homeless Link
Housing First Italia led by fio.PSD
Development led by homelessness organisations in Spain and Portugal
Housing First Europe Hub, led by FEANTSA
National strategy in France, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Wales, Netherlands, Belgium…and England

10. Why is everyone using Housing First?
Stops recurrent and sustained homelessness
Gets people out of the revolving door/frequent flying
Stops homelessness associated with high and complex needs
Reaches people who get stuck in services, get thrown out of services and who don’t use services
Increased cost effectiveness

11. Housing First stops homelessness but we need to be clear what exactly that means

12. Canada and USA
Using Housing First to reduce homelessness among people with high and complex needs
Including severe mental illness
Specifically targeted on this group

13. United States
The number of individuals experiencing chronic homelessness declined by 18 percent, or over 19,000 people, between and 2017 (small increase )
Chronically Homeless Individual refers to an individual with a disability who has been continuously homeless for one year or more or has experienced at least four episodes of homelessness in the last three years where the combined length of time homeless in those occasions is at least 12 months.
Widespread use of Housing First model
Source: HUD (2017)

14. Using Housing First
Finland is approaching a functional zero in homelessness
Norway, Denmark are close to it as well
Finland uses Housing First for homeless people with high and complex needs
Within an integrated homelessness strategies
This integration into wider strategy is crucial

15. Finland Housing First is integrated into prevention
Focused on people with high/complex needs
Works alongside other services targeted on other aspects of homelessness
Effectively ends revolving door/frequent flyer and sustained homelessness
Cost effective

16. Finland Prevention Low intensity floating support (housing-led)
Supported housing
Specialist services (e.g. former offenders)
Housing First
Housing programme to develop more affordable, adequate homes

17. Long term homelessness in Finland
Source: ARA (2017

18. Denmark Prevention Emergency shelters Supported housing
Floating support (housing led)
Housing First
Critical time intervention
Skave huse

19. Homelessness in Denmark
Source: SFI

20. Fidelity debate Fidelity High - Canada, France
Lower - UK, Netherlands, Finland
ACT/ICM
All appears to work
Following the core philosophy is important

22. Different target groups
Mental health intervention in Canada and France
Requires diagnosis
Restricts scope
Broader focus in Finland on recurrent and sustained homelessness
Tangible effect on overall levels

23. Using Housing First
Is an answer to recurrent and sustained homelessness
It is meant for high need, high cost individuals
You need other services for homeless families, for other groups of homeless people
Prevention has to play a major role too

24. Using Housing First makes an Integrated homelessness strategy more effective

25. Housing First cannot be a homelessness strategy on its own

26. Housing First is not meant to be a strategy on its own

27. The case for Housing First
International evidence shows that Housing First stops homelessness
High need, repeated, sustained, revolving door
Homelessness with the highest human cost
Homelessness with the highest financial cost

28. But you also need other services

29. And prevention

31. Supported housing Potential for some reduction
Still a need for emergency accommodation
Specialist services, higher risk etc.
But at least some capacity is absorbed by people in a revolving door/frequent flyer position
A population that Housing First will reduce

32. A word on housing-led
It is floating support, tenancy sustainment, resettlement
Draws on Housing First but is low/medium intensity
2010 European Consensus Conference on Homelessness
“Housing-led” terminology is used in the Irish strategy
AKA “Housing First Light”
These services are widespread in the UK and integrated into Finnish and similar strategies

33. Professor Nicholas Pleace
Director
Centre for Housing Policy, University of York
European Observatory on Homelessness
Women’s Homelessness in Europe Network (WHEN)