Supporting Homelessness: Co-developing a peer-led evaluation of a novel supported accommodation model

Background: Homelessness is a global challenge impacting many population groups including adults, families and children with prevalence estimates around 1%. In Ireland, the prevalence of homelessness increases with over 13,000 people reported officially as homeless. Data on homelessness vastly underestimates the extent of the issue due to a lack of an internationally agreed definition. People become homeless due to a variety of reasons including both personal factors and structural and environmental barriers. The detrimental impact of homelessness on the health and well-being of individuals is well understood, with reduced life expectancy and a higher incidence of morbidity. While individual factors may have led to homelessness and the impact of this differs for each person, what is similar is the loss of belonging. While homeless services in Ireland are publicly funded, the services are delivered by charitable non-governmental organisations. The lack of available housing continues to increase waiting lists and precarity for this marginalised group. A collection of accommodation is available mostly aimed at single adults with limited temporary accommodation for families; however, little is known about the impact of living in particular temporary accommodation on the ability to exit homelessness or live independently. Aim: This study is a Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) led study co-designed in partnership with a homeless charity to establish the feasibility of one type of accommodation and its impact on the lives of previous residents and key stakeholders. Methods: This is a co-created study funded by UCD PPI seed funding in 2022 and has used a partnership approach since the development of the proposal. Following ethical approval by Dublin Simon and Low-Risk ethical approval by the UCD Human Research Ethics Committee, a study steering committee was developed and a study working group was formed. Initial meetings were held monthly during 2023. A partnership approach was used in the recruitment of participants for the study. Interviews were facilitated locally and additionally, visits were provided to the research team to two types of accommodation provided by the PPI partner. Results: To date, nine individual interviews have been conducted with previous residents (n=4) and key stakeholders (n=5). Recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and coding and analysis will commence in December 2023. A PPI-led workshop is planned for February 2024 to present preliminary findings from triangulated data and to identify priorities and next steps for funding and advocacy. Conclusion: This is the first study to assess the feasibility of a type of accommodation from the perspective of residents and key stakeholders. Evidence from this study will be used in developing future services and advocating for further funding.