Using Housing First in Integrated Homelessness Strategies

This report explores Housing First in relation to the evidence base on services designed to end homelessness among single people (i.e. lone adults) with support needs. Some attention is given to prevention and relief services, but this report is concerned with services for those single homeless people who require support as well as housing. The report does not encompass services for homeless families.

The report has four main objectives:

• To critically assess the evidence base for Housing First and other homelessness services, considering the extent to which the case for different service models has been proven or disproven.
• To consider the state of the evidence on the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of different service models.
• To review the potential for different service models to contribute to an effective, integrated strategy to prevent homelessness and to minimise the risk of homelessness becoming prolonged or recurrent.
• To consider how lessons from various service models might be employed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of homelessness services as a whole.