Housing Model Evaluation (HOME) study - Data Linkage Work Package
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Housing Model Evaluation (HOME) - Data Linkage Work Package Improvements in health associated with housing-led systems for people experiencing homelessness.
IRAS ID
335096
Contact name
Dee Menezes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Salford University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 28 days
Research summary
People who have been homeless and live in temporary accommodation often have poor health and are unfortunately more likely to die younger than people who have never been homeless. We intend to study the health effects of different types of accommodation for homeless people.
Most people would agree that providing someone with a permanent home after they have been homeless is the right thing to do. ‘Housing First’ is a model where people are given housing without tests or prerequisites, such as engagement with drug and alcohol services. Housing First usually also includes additional help and support to make sure people can manage their new home and access health and social services.
In England, the government has been testing Housing First in Greater Manchester, Liverpool, and West Midlands. Research shows that Housing First helps people to keep their homes and can stop people from becoming homeless again. However, we do not know how health is affected by Housing First and other types of accommodation such as hostels and privately rented flats.
This study will use data from housing providers, primary care, NHS hospitals (including infectious disease datasets) and death certificates to compare health outcomes for people provided with different housing models. We will pay special attention to people with long-term health issues such as heart and respiratory conditions, and whether housing can reduce the risk of being admitted to hospital for emergency treatment. We will also use this data to study the general health of people who are homeless in the UK today, and how this compares to the general population. Lastly, using publicly available historical temporal datasets from the Met Office, we aim to also examine the impact of adverse weather events on mortality and healthcare service use for people experiencing homelessness.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/YH/0254
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jan 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion