BSHF European End Street Homelessness Campaign evaluation€¦ · The European End Street...

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BSHFEuropeanEndStreetHomelessnessCampaignevaluationJimCoe&JeremySmith,November2017

contents

Summary.............................................................................................31 Introduction...................................................................................7

1.1 Purposeofthisreview.................................................................................................71.2 Reviewapproach.........................................................................................................71.3 Backgroundtothereview............................................................................................8

2 Strategyandstrategicassumptions................................................82.1 Campaignprinciples.....................................................................................................82.2 BSHF’sstrategicrole..................................................................................................13

3 Implementationandmanagement...............................................163.1 SupportBSHFprovides..............................................................................................163.2 Sharinglearningandtrackingprogress......................................................................18

4 Campaignoutcomes.....................................................................194.1 Improvedevidencebase............................................................................................194.2 Enhancedengagementandinterest..........................................................................204.3 Towardschangesinpolicyandpractice....................................................................234.4 Impactonpeoplewhoarestreethomeless..............................................................244.5 Commentaryonprogressandachievements............................................................26

5 Lookingahead..............................................................................275.1 Growingthecampaign...............................................................................................275.2 AEuropeancampaign?..............................................................................................295.3 Futurecoordinationapproachandstructures...........................................................305.4 Developingthestrategy.............................................................................................31

6 Recommendations........................................................................33Appendix1:Campaigntimeline.........................................................35Appendix2:Campaignprinciples.......................................................36Appendix3:Surveyresponses:campaignoutcomes..........................37Figure1:Partners’survey:Perspectivesonthecampaignprinciples.......................................9Figure2:Volunteers’viewsofthecampaign..........................................................................12Figure3:Partners’survey:FeedbackonBSHFsupport...........................................................16Figure4:Partners’survey:Feedbackonspecificresourcesupport........................................17Figure5:Volunteers’previousinvolvementinhomelessnessissues......................................22Figure6:Partners’survey:Perspectivesonbenefitstolocalhomelesspeople.....................25Figure7:Summarycampaigntimeline....................................................................................35Figure8:Partners’survey:Perspectivesoncampaignoutcomes...........................................37Figure9:Partners’survey:Perspectivesonorganisationalbenefits......................................37

Summary

INTRODUCTION TheEuropeanEndStreetHomelessnessCampaignisfundedandcoordinatedbyBSHF.Itwassetupontheprinciplethat“thetimehascometostopmanaginghomelessnessandstartendingit”.Thisevaluationfocusesonthefollowingmainareas:(a)Strategicassumptions(b)Campaigndeliveryandmanagement,and(c)Campaignoutcomes.Theevaluationdrawson: • Areviewofrelevantdocuments. • Asurveycompletedby8citypartnerorganisations(outof20thatreceivedit)from

across5cities. • Interviews(20intotal)withBSHFstaffandconsultants,strategicpartners,citylevel

partnersandvolunteersin4cities(Croydon,Valencia,TorbayandBrussels).• Ashortsurveyforvolunteersinvolvedinthecampaign,circulatedtovolunteersin

WestminsterandBarcelona,throughwhichwereceived111responsesintotal.

CAMPAIGN PRINCIPLES Thecampaignisdeeplyambitiousinitsgoaltoachievesystemicchange.Thesixcampaignprinciplesframethisambition,andsoitisencouragingthatsurveyfeedbacksuggeststhatpartnersstronglysupportallthecampaignprinciples. Thetwokeyorganisingprinciples–HousingFirstandcommunityinvolvement–arebothdeliberatelydisruptiveofthestatusquo.Contributorsstronglysupport(theneedfor)thiselementofdisruption. ThefactthatHousingFirsthasalreadysometractionandcredibilityishelpfulinreducingthepotentiallyalienatingeffectofthisdisruption.SurveyresultsshowthatpartnersstronglysupporttheHousingFirstapproachandstronglyagreethatthisprojectisupholdingtheapproachinpractice.Interviewfeedbackwasslightlymorenuanced,withsomestressingtheneedtomovefromthecurrentsituationtoasystemwhichincorporatesHousingFirst(butnotastheonlyapproach). Partnersshowedstrongbuyintotheprincipleofcommunityinvolvement,althoughinmanycasesthishasn’t(yet)extendedbeyondinvolvementinConnectionsWeeks.Volunteerssurveyedindicatedthattheywerewillingtoparticipateinthecampaigninfuture.Somewouldlikeopportunitiesforongoinginvolvementandseveralwerekeentohearmoreabouttheprogressofthecampaign. Itcouldbeclearerwhatthecommunityinvolvementexpectationsareinpractice.Somepartnersfeltthatcommunitymembers’ongoinginvolvementinthecampaignshouldbebetterintegratedfromthebeginning.

BSHF’S STRATEGIC ROLE Asanindependentvoice,BSHFiswellplacedtoinitiateandcoordinatethecampaign.ButsomepointedtothefactthatBSHFisnewtothefieldashavingsomepotentialdisadvantagesthatneedtobemanaged,notablyarounditsreachandcontactsacrossEuropeandthebreadthofcitieswhichareinvolved.Mostfeltthatcityselectionwasinitiallymadeonapragmaticratherthanastrategicbasis.Thismadesensepracticallybutithasskewedthegeographyofparticipatingcitiesinthecampaigntodate.ThereareearlysignsofthisnowshiftingtoamoreEuropean-wideapproach. Theflexibilitythatthecampaigngivestocitylevelpartnerscreatesapositivecontextforactionatthatlevel.

IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT Thecampaignconcentratesattentionandhelpsraiseparticipants’morale.Partnersvaluethesenseofsolidaritythatbeingpartofthecampaignbrings.Forsome,itbringsaddedcredibilitytotheircitylevelwork. PartnersareverypositiveabouttheoverallsupportthatBSHFprovidesandaboutthespecificsupportpackagesonoffer.Partnersarepositiveabouthowlearningissharedbutsaythereisroomformore.Thereisanaturaltendencyforcitiestoexchangewithcitiesintheirowncountry,buttheremaybeincreasingopportunitytoextract-andmorewidelyshare-generalisablelessonsfromcities'experiences.Approachestotrackingandreportingshouldbefurtherdevelopedasthecampaigngrows.

CAMPAIGN OUTCOMES Thecampaignisbeginningtodemonstrateasetofoutcomesthatshowprogresstowardsthegoalofsecuringsustainablehousingforstreethomelesspeople. Forsomecities,conductingthestreetsurveyshasgeneratedvaluablenewdataandevidence. Inmanycities,therearepositivesignsofgrowthofinterestin,andsupportto,thecampaignanditsprinciplesfromlocalcivilsocietyorganisationsandassociations.Partnersmentionedthatthereisevidenceoflocalmediacoverageandsocialmediadissemination.CommunityengagementhasgenerallybeenstrongduringConnectionsWeeks.Inmostcases,effortsatinvolvingthecommunityinamoreongoingwayareintheirearlystages.Thisisanareathatmanycitiesarecommittedtodeveloping. Therearesomesignsthatmunicipalauthoritiesareengagingwiththecampaign.Therearesomeexamplesofapparentinfluenceonmunicipalauthorities’policyandpracticeemerging,but-notsurprisinglygiventhechallengesinvolved-progresstendstobeslowevenwherecommitmentsareinplace.

Therearesomeearly(butnotalwaystotallyclear)signsthatsmallnumbersofpeoplehavebeenbeinghousedasaresultofthecampaign(orthatthecampaignhasinsomewaycontributedtothis).Partnersmentionthatthereareotherbenefitstostreethomelesspeople–forexamplethroughthehumanisingexperienceofthesurveyengagement–butwehavelimitedinformationaboutthis.Thecampaignisnotyetachievingchangeatscalebutitwouldnotberealistictoexpecttoseethissosoon.Thereareenoughsignsofprogresstobeencouragedabouttheapproachbeingtaken.Inanumberofcities,shortageofhousingstock/landseemstobeakeybarrier.ItseemsthatevenwherecityauthoritiescollaboratecloselywithcampaignpartnersandsupportHousingFirst,theymaybeunabletoapplyitinpractice.

LOOKING AHEAD ThereisasetofconsiderationsandoptionsforBSHFaroundwhether,howandhowfast,andwhere,togrowthecampaign. Partnerssupportgrowthinthenumberofparticipatingcitiesinprinciplebutidentifysomeconcernsinpractice,includinginrelationtothecampaign’scapacitytosupportamuchlargernumberofcitieswhilebeingsurethatthosealreadyinvolvedhavereachedalevelofengagementsuchthattheirrelianceonBSHFislimited.Somefeltitwouldbehelpfultodemonstratesuccessmoredefinitivelybeforeexpandingthenumberofcitiesinvolved. Citylevelcampaignsseemtobemosteffectivewhentheybuildonexisting,iflatent,supportforchange.Therearesomestrategicchoicesthatthecampaignmightwanttomakearoundhowmuchtofocusontheareaswherethereismostlikelytobe(relatively)quickprogress.Asthecampaigngrows,theremayneedtobesomeadditionalcampaigncommunication(internallyandexternally)inlanguagesotherthanEnglish.Somepartnersseethepotentialtodevelopamorecoordinatedcampaigningapproach.Thecurrent,city-basedmodelisaviableonebutsomefeltthatcomplementingthiswithsomemorecentralisedadvocacyisanalternativeworthconsidering. Therearesomedifferentoptionsforhowthestructuralcoordinationofthecampaigncouldevolve.Alltheoptionshavesomeadvantagesbutnoneofthemprovideanobviousandclearrouteforward.It’sgoodthatresourcingtosupportthecampaignisinplaceoverthemediumterm–butthismaynotfullyresolvethequestionofresourcing,dependingondecisionsaboutthecampaign'sstrategicpurposeandthefuturerolethatBSHFwillplay. Nowisagoodtimetoreviewtheoverallcampaignstrategy.Thereareasetofinter-relatedchoicesabout(a)whatsortof‘campaign’itshouldbe

(b)whatthegrowthstrategyshouldbe(c)whatkindofstrategicpartnershipsshouldsupportnationallevelaction(d)whatresourcesareneededandwheretheyshouldcomefrom(e)thebestsystemsforsharinglearningandencouragingcross-fertilisation,andtherolethatBSHFshouldplayinthis.Thereisaquestionaboutwhoisinvolvedinconsideringfuturestrategy,withsomedifferentoptionsabouthowthatcouldbedone.

RECOMMENDATIONS 1. ReviewhowcampaignpositionsaroundHousingFirstaresetoutandcommunicated,to

ensurecommonunderstandingamongstparticipatingorganisations.

2. Developguidancethatencouragespartnerstoupdatevolunteersandotherinterestedpartnersoncampaignprogress.

3. Reviewhowcampaignpositionsaroundcommunityinvolvementaresetoutandcommunicated,toensurecommonunderstandingamongstparticipatingorganisations.

4. Considerpracticalwaystoencouragelearningopportunitiesbetweencities,boththroughBSHFandbilaterally,takingintoaccountdifferentiatedneeds(accordingtogeographyandhistoryofinvolvementforexample).

5. Developanapproachtocampaigntrackingandmonitoringthatsupportsbettergenerationofandaccesstoreal-timeinformation.Somepracticalstepscouldincludedeveloping:

• An‘outcomebank’withsomeguidanceonwhatoutcomesareofparticularinterest;

• Acampaign‘evidencedatabase’thatallcanaddto;• Supportandguidancearoundreviewinginformationinwaysthatfeedinto

planning;• Supporttoeffortstodevelopcasestudiesthatillustrateprogressbeingmade.

6. Considerdevelopingsomeprotocolsandguidancearoundcommunicatingdifficultmessages,suchasinrelationtomigrantsandrefugees.

7. Establish-aspartofcampaigntracking–asetofcommondefinitions/indicatorsthatclearlyexpressthechangesthecampaignseeks(whichwouldincludenumbersofpeoplehousedinHousingFirstaccommodation,butalsomeasurestodowithhowthathousingstatusissustained);andagreehowthatinformationwillberecordedandreported.

8. Considersettingupaprocessorforumtoconsidercommonchallengesandhowtoovercomebarrierslinkedtolimitsonhousingstockandland.

9. Developagrowthstrategythatsetsoutideasonthespeedandsequencingofexpansiontonewcitiesandthebestmixofcitiestoinvolve,andimplicationsarisingfromthis(aroundlanguageforexample).

10. Considerthepotentialforcomplementingcityleveladvocacywithsomecoordinatedadvocacythatdrawsonexperiencesacrosscities.

11. Considerwhetherandhowbesttoinvolvepartnersindevelopingstrategicoptions.

1 Introduction

1.1 PURPOSEOFTHISREVIEW

TheEuropeanEndStreetHomelessnessCampaignisfundedandcoordinatedbyBSHF.Itwassetupontheprinciplethat“thetimehascometostopmanaginghomelessnessandstartendingit”.Insupportofthisgoal,thecampaignhasbeen:• creatinggreaterawarenessofroughsleeping,thepeoplewhoareaffected,andwhat

canbedoneaboutit;• findinganddeliveringbetter,quickerwaystohelppeopleoffthestreets–inparticular

thosewithmultipleandcomplexneeds-andintopermanenthousing.1Inlinewithourproposal,thisevaluationfocusesonthefollowingmainareas(a)Strategicassumptions(b)Campaigndeliveryandmanagement,and(c)Campaignoutcomes.Insettingoutanenquiryframeworkinmoredetail,wenotedthat“itmakessensetofocusinparticularon• the‘interimoutcomes’(signsofprogresstowardsthelongertermgoal);and• theoverallapproachandimplementationofit(toestablishhowwellsetupthe

campaignistoachievetheresultsitseeks).Thisreportaddressestheseareasandfollowstheguidanceinthecallforproposalsthattheend-productreportshould“identifythestrengths,resultsandimpactofthecampaign'sworktodate,andrecommendanychangesorenhancementsthatwouldimprovethequality,reachandimpactofwhatwedo”.

1.2 REVIEWAPPROACH

Theevaluationdrawson:1/Areviewofrelevantdocuments.2/Asurveycompletedby8citypartnerorganisations(outof20thatreceivedit)fromacross5cities.Wehaveincludeddatafromthesurveythroughoutthereport,butgiventherelativelylowresponserate,weshouldnotethatfindingsmaynotnecessarilyberepresentativeofoverallopinionamongstcitypartners.1FromBSHF,callforproposals–oneyearfollowupevaluation

3/Interviews(20intotal)withBSHFstaffandconsultants,strategicpartners,citylevelpartnersandvolunteersin4cities(Croydon,Valencia,TorbayandBrussels).4/Ashortsurveyforvolunteersinvolvedinthecampaign,circulatedtovolunteersinWestminsterandBarcelona,throughwhichwereceived111responsesintotal.Thesurveywascompletedby34volunteersfromWestminsterand77fromBarcelona(whereitwasavailableinSpanishandCatalan).Thissurveywasnotsentouttoothercityvolunteerstoavoidmakingtoomanyrequestsofcitypartnersduringthecourseoftheevaluation.WereviewedallinformationandsharedinitialfindingsandconclusionsinasessionwithBSHFstaffbeforedraftingthisreport.

1.3 BACKGROUNDTOTHEREVIEW

Theprogrammewasinitiatedin2015.BSHFandFEANTSAinitiallyselectedsixcitiesforinvolvement.Threeofthesecitiesmaintainedtheirinvolvementandwerejoinedbyafourth,Croydon,inthepilotphaseoftheprogramme.In2016,BSHFcommissionedanevaluationofthepilotphaseofthecampaign,whichvalidatedtheconceptandwaspositiveaboutprogresstodate.Followingthepilotphase,othercitieshavejoinedthecampaign,andBSHFhasdevelopedamorestructuredprogrammeofsupport(discussedinsection3.1).WesetoutasummarycampaigntimelineinAppendix1.

2 Strategy and strategic assumptions

2.1 CAMPAIGNPRINCIPLES

Thecampaignisdeeplyambitiousinitsgoaltoachievesystemicchange.Thesixcampaignprinciplesframethisambition,andsoitisencouragingthatsurveyfeedbacksuggeststhatpartnersstronglysupportallthecampaignprinciples.ThecampaignprinciplesarelistedinAppendix2.Weaskedforfeedbackinthesurvey(a)whetherthesearetherightprinciples,and(b)howwelltheyarebeingfollowedinimplementation.Plottingtheseresultsreveals:• Thereisgoodsupportfortheprinciples,althoughsupportiscomparativelylessstrongin

regardtothe‘improvingsystems’approach,althoughitisnotclearwhythisshouldbe

• Surveyrespondentsseesomeprinciplesasbeingmoreclearlyimplementedthanothers,notablythatthereismoreworktodoaroundtrackingprogress.Thisisconsistentwithinterviewfeedback(wediscusstrackingandmonitoringinsection3.2).

Figure1:Partners’survey:Perspectivesonthecampaignprinciples

Thisgraphplotsaverageresponses,onascaleof1-5fromstronglydisagreetostronglyagreeThetwokeyorganisingprinciples–HousingFirstandcommunityinvolvement–arebothdeliberatelydisruptiveofthestatusquo.Contributorsstronglysupport(theneedfor)thiselementofdisruption.Disruptionisbuiltintothecampaign.Asthe2016evaluationexplainedit,“Intendedtobedisruptive,thecampaignhelpedsomepeoplewhohadbeenworkinginthisareaforalongtime,whowerefrustratedbythelackofprogress,tobreakorchangetherules”.Respondentsstressedthatthecampaignisdesignedasachallengeto‘businessasusual’mentalitiesandpracticesandtothe“homelessnessindustry”.Whileoneintervieweenotedthatbeingdisruptiveis"anunintendedconsequenceofusingadifferentapproach”,othersembracedisruptionasapositiveforce.

HousingFirst

Knowingwho'soutthere

Trackingprogress Involvingthe

communityImprovinglocal

systems

Learning&sharing

stronglyagree

Rightprinciple?

stronglydisagree

stronglystronglydisagreeBeingapplied?agree

Butforthisradicaldisruptiontotakeholdthroughnewwaysofaddressingproblemsofhomelessnessbeingadopted,thereisaneedtobringpeoplealong.Sothereisatensionthatcitypartnersmustnavigate:“Peopleinthesectormayfeelwearecriticisingtheirintentionswhenwearecriticisingtheirmethods.Thereisariskoflosingpeoplewhohaveworkedagainsthomelessnessforalongtime…weneedtoengagethemsensitively”.Asweexplorebelow,citypartnershavemadesomeprogressinbuildingsupportamongstcommunitiesandgroups,butthisisnotastraightforwardorquickundertaking.ThefactthatHousingFirsthasalreadysometractionandcredibilityishelpfulinreducingthepotentiallyalienatingeffectofthisdisruption.Inmanyways,HousingFirstisradicallychallenging.Butthereisevidencetosupportit(althoughsomeofthismaybecontested)anditbuildsonsomeexistinginterestinpartsofEurope.Intervieweesreportthatmanyinthehomelessnesssectorrecognisethatexistingapproacheshavenotworked.Sointhatsense,althoughHousingFirstrepresentsaradicalreorientation,thereareatleastsomepositiveconditionsinplacethathelpcreateapotentialtobuildsomemomentumaroundit.SurveyresultsshowthatpartnersstronglysupporttheHousingFirstapproachandstronglyagreethatthisprojectisupholdingtheapproachinpractice.Interviewfeedbackwasslightlymorenuanced,withsomestressingtheneedtomovefromthecurrentsituationtoasystemwhichincorporatesHousingFirst(butnotastheonlyapproach).HousingFirstrepresentsashiftfrommanagingtoendinghomelessness.Accordingtoonepartner,“itturnsontheirheadthethingswethoughtweknow…[it]hasbeenvaluableandchallenging”.Anotherstressedthat“Itisbasedonhousingbeingaright.Thisiscentraltowhyitworks”.Onepartnerdescribeditasagoodwaytoby-passtheexisting,over-complexsystem.Thereisstronginterestandbuy-intoHousingFirstamongstparticipantsinthecampaign.Thecampaignisupholdingthiscentralprincipletotheextentthatsomecities’involvement,includingtheinvolvementofsomeofthepilotcities,hasfalteredonthelackofstrongcommitmentto,andprioritisationof,HousingFirstprinciples.Butit’salsothecasethatsomepartnersareinterpretingHousingFirstaspartofapackageofapproaches.Onecitypartnernotedthat“Itisrighttoendconditionalityofsupport,butthisisnotforeveryone.HousingFirstisnotapanacea-youneedarangeofoptions”andanotherthat“Itworksiftargetedattherightpeople”.ThisraisesaquestionastowhetherthecampaignisadvocatingHousingFirstasthesolution,orasoneelementofawidersolution.Perhapstheredoesnothavetobeadefinitiveviewaboutthiswithinthecampaign,buthavingaclearerlinemightbehelpful.

Speakingconceptually,briefly:inthecontextofreferencestoHousingFirstasa‘paradigmshift’,systemsthinkerDonellaMeadowssetoutthebestwaystochangethestructuresofasystem.Sheadvocatedthatthesecondmosteffectivewaytoshiftasystemisbycreatinganewparadigm-butthatthemosteffectiveapproachistotranscendparadigms,“tostayflexible,torealisethatnoparadigmis‘true’toeveryone”.2WemightseeplacingHousingFirstmoreflexiblyasonepotentialsolution,ratherthanasthesolution,fitswellwiththis‘transcendingparadigms’approach.SeeRecommendation1.Partnersshowedstrongbuy-intotheprincipleofcommunityinvolvement,althoughinmanycasesthishasn’t(yet)extendedbeyondinvolvementinConnectionsWeeksManypartnersstressedthatvolunteerinvolvementhasbroughtinnewactors,newenergyandnewperspectives.Asoneintervieweeputit,communityinvolvement“improvedthequalityofthediscussion,madepeoplestepbackandnotassumedoingthesamethingthesamewayisright”.Thisisexpressedintheprinciplethat“Weneedtotakean'unprofessional'approachtoserviceprovision”.Theprincipleofcommunityinvolvementwasverystronglysupportedbythevolunteerssurveyed,withextraordinarilyhighagreementamongstBarcelonavolunteers(seeFigure2)ConnectionsWeeksthemselveshavehadsomechallengesinsomecities,butmanyfelttheywerepositiveexperiences.Inonecity,someintervieweesraisedaspecificissuearoundtheConnectionsWeekduplicatingexistinginitiatives.Weheardonecriticismofthecampaignthatithasn’tbeenclearenoughinsettingoutwhatwasmeantbycommunityinvolvement,beyondtheConnectionsWeeks.Theactualpictureseemsmoremixedthanthis,withsomecities,notablyCroydon,activelyembeddingthiselementwithinthewidercampaign,andothersshowingadevelopingcommitmenttobuildinginongoingcommunityinvolvementinfuture(seesection4.2).Butinsomeothercities,therehasnotbeenmuch,ifany,communityinvolvementbeyondtheConnectionsWeeksthemselves.Volunteerssurveyedindicatedthattheywerewillingtoparticipateinthecampaigninfuture.Somewouldlikeopportunitiesforongoinginvolvementandseveralwerekeentohearmoreabouttheprogressofthecampaign.Insurveyfeedback,volunteersstressedthattheyparticipatedinthecampaignbecausetheywantedtocontributeinsomeway,andshowsolidarity,andthattheywelcomedapracticalwayofshowingtheirconcernandfulfillingadesiretodosomething.Forsomeitwasawaytobecomebetterinformed-“ithasbeenveryimportantformetohavetheopportunityto

2DonellaMeadows,ThinkinginSystems,p162-4,Earthscan,2009

listento[homelesspeople]directly”.AcoupleofvolunteersinWestminstermentionedthattheyhadexperiencedhomelessnessthemselves.SeveralvolunteersinBarcelonaspecificallymentionedtheimportanceofhavinggoodinformationinordertobeabletoaddresstheproblem(i.e.goingbeyondmoregeneralisedreasonsforbeinginvolvedandexplicitlyidentifyingthattheyfeltthisparticularinterventionwasaworthwhileone).Inbothcitiescoveredbythevolunteers’survey,volunteersexpressedstrongwillingnesstoparticipateinthecampaigninfuture,withsomesuggestingthisrepresenteduntappedpotential:“thereweredozensofpeoplewillingtogivetheirtimetocarryondoingstuffandthiswasnotexploited”.ThisseemedtobeastrongerfeelingamongstWestminstervolunteers,althoughasmallnumberofBarcelonavolunteersdidalsoraiseit:“Oncethecounthasbeenmadehowcanacommunitycallbemadetosolvetheproblem?”Probablylinkedtothis,thevolunteers’surveyindicatesthat-whilststillpositiveoverall-volunteersinthetwocitiesconcernedagreedrelativelylessstronglyabouttheeffectivenessofcommunityinvolvementinthiscase,thecontributiontheyhadmade,andwhatthecampaignhasachieved.ThereisstrongeragreementineachcasefromvolunteersinBarcelonathanfromthoseinWestminster:

Figure2:Volunteers’viewsofthecampaign

Graphshowsaverageresponsesonascale1-5,where1=stronglydisagreeand5=stronglyagree

1 2 3 4 5

Itisimportantthatthereis'acommunitysolu=ontoacommunityproblem'

IwasgiventhesupportIneededtotakepartinthecampaign

It’sbeenclearwhathasbeenexpectedofme

Thiscampaignoffersaneffec=vewaytoinvolvethecommunityinaddressinghomelessnessinmycity

IfeelIhavemadeavaluablecontribu=ontotacklinghomelessnessinmycity

Thecampaignhasledtoposi=veresultsforhomelesspeopleinmycity

Pleasetellushowmuchyouagreewiththefollowingstatements:

Westminster Barcelona

Indeed,inresponsetothesurveyquestion“thecampaignhasledtopositiveresultsforhomelesspeopleinmycity”,36%ofvolunteersinWestminsterreplied‘don’tknow’,makingthisthemostcommonanswer.InBarcelona,21%replied‘don’tknow’.Thissuggestsitcouldbegoodforpartnerstothinkaboutwaystokeepvolunteersbetterinformedaboutcampaignprogress.SeveralvolunteersinWestminstermentionedthattheywantedtoknowmore,andbekeptuptodate,aboutwhatwashappeningwiththecampaign:“Ipersonallyhaven'theardagreatdealaboutitsinceIdidmysmallpart”;“Iwouldliketohaveheardmoreabouttheoutcomesandfindingsofthework”.ThesmallnumberofvolunteersweinterviewedforthereviewmentionedthattheyhavelittlesenseofitbeingaEuropeancampaignandwouldwelcomemorecontactwithothercities,andtobemoreawareofthebiggerpicture.SeeRecommendation2.Itcouldbeclearerwhatthecommunityinvolvementexpectationsareinpractice.Somepartnersfeltthatcommunitymembers’ongoinginvolvementinthecampaignshouldbebetterintegratedfromthebeginning.Therewassomefeedbackfrompartnersquestioninghowessentialcommunityinvolvementactuallyisinadvancingthegoalsofthecampaign.Inacoupleofcitiespartnersexpressedasensealongthelinesthat:“thereisnoneedtoinvolvethecommunityforitsownsake,ifyoucanachieveyourgoalsbydirectengagement”.Thisraisesaquestionastowhethercommunityinvolvementisameanstoapolicyendand/orsomethingbroaderthanthat.Inturn,itmaybeunclearwhatpartnersaresigninguptowhentheycommittothecommunityinvolvementprincipleaspartofthecampaign.Giventhis,itcouldbehelpfultohaveaclearerandmoreexplicitpositiononthestrategicpurposeofinvolvingcommunitiesacrossthecampaignasawhole.Inparticular,thiscouldhelpacceleratecommunityinvolvementefforts,inthatitwouldbeclearerfromthestartwhatthatlookslike.Thisisconsistentwiththerecommendationfromapartnerthat“Keywouldbetoplanwhatyouaregoingtodoafterwards[tofacilitateongoingcommunityinvolvement]beforetheendoftheConnectionsWeek.Thequickeryougetitgoingthebetter”.SeeRecommendation3.

2.2 BSHF’SSTRATEGICROLE

Asanindependentvoice,BSHFiswellplacedtoinitiateandcoordinatethecampaign.BSHFsawaneedandanopportunityandsteppedin.OtherrespondentscorroboratedBSHF’sownsensethatitiswellplacedandabletooperateasanhonestbroker:“wehave

independenceandhaveusedthattoouradvantage”.Oneexternalinterviewee,forexample,feltthat,“Itneedsoutsiderstoshakethingsup.It'sverylaudablethatBSHFtooktheplunge.Thatothershavejoinedthecampaignvindicatesthat”.GivenhowwellplacedBSHFistoidentifygoodpractice,wethinkit’salogicalandpositivesteporganisationallyforBSHFtofollowthisthroughandbemorepracticallyinvolvedinfindingwaystoreplicategoodpractice.Asoneinternalintervieweeexplainedit,“Weareinauniquepositiontofindoutthingsthatwork,sohaveadutytotrytogetthosetoworkinotherplaces”.ButsomepointedtothefactthatBSHFisnewtothefieldashavingsomepotentialdisadvantagesthatneedtobemanaged,notablyarounditsreachandcontactsacrossEuropeandthebreadthofcitieswhichareinvolved.Mostfeltthatcityselectionwasinitiallymadeonapragmaticratherthanastrategicbasis.Thismadesensepracticallybutithasskewedthegeographyofparticipatingcitiesinthecampaigntodate.ThereareearlysignsofthisnowshiftingtoamoreEuropean-wideapproach.Internalintervieweesaswellaspartnersrecognisedthattheapproachintheearlystageswasessentiallypractical,togowheretheinterestwas.Thefactthatpartnersputthemselvesforwardshowedsomecommitment,butbeyondthattheinitialcitieswerenotselectedonthebasisofanywiderstrategiclogic.SeveralrespondentsfeltthatthemixofcitieshastendedtodependonBSHF'sexistingcontacts,althoughthisopiniondownplaystherolethatFEANTSAhasplayedinsuggestingcitiestoapproach.Oneintervieweesuggestedthatthelimitationsarenotsimplydowntoreach:“TheissueislessabilityofBSHFtoreachcities,buthowcitiesreceivethemessageofthecampaign”.Theapproachtodatehashadsomecostintermsofgeographicalspread,withthecampaigntodateshowingadisproportionateUKfocus(bothintermsofcitiesselectedandofcitiesthathaveremainedengagedinthecampaign).

Table1:InvolvementofUKandmainlandEuropeancitiesinthecampaign

Total StillinvolvedAllcities 14 10UK 6 6

Thismakeupisbeginningtochange.WeunderstandthenewtrancheofcitieswillhelpintroducefurtherdiversityandmovethecentreofgravityfurtherEast.Developingthisgeographicalspreadwillbekeytothenextphaseofthecampaign(seesection5.1).Adoptingamodelthatinvolvesworkingwithandthroughothers,whilstoperatinginanewareabringschallengesintermsofhowcontactsareforgedandpartnersidentified.It’s

difficultforanewactortobuilditsnetworksinnewcountries:thereisinevitablyacertainrelianceonstrategicsupportfromexistingactorsandthishasn’talwaysbeenfullyonoffer.OnerespondentalsomentionedthatBSHF’srelativelysmallsizecouldmakeitdifficulttomaintainasenseofownershipoverthecampaign.BSHFisalerttothisandismanagingthischallengebynotgoingbeyondtheboundariesofwhatislikelytobesustainable.Theflexibilitythatthecampaigngivestocitylevelpartnerscreatesapositivecontextforactionatthatlevel.Theparametersofthecampaignaresetbytheprinciples,andbeyondthatthereisalotoflatitudedelegatedtocitylevel:“thereisalevelthatyoumustdo,therestisflexible”.Citylevelpartnersverymuchappreciatethisapproachasnotedelsewhere.It'sanapproachthatseemsverymuchinlinewitha‘directednetwork’modelofcampaigns,which“aretypicallyledbyacentralbodythatframestheissuesandcoordinatesenergiestowardssharedmilestonesbutalsoleavesafairamountoffreedomandagencyto…supportersand…allies”.Areviewofthisapproachfoundthatthesetypesofdirected-networkcampaigns“performedexceptionallywellintermsofbothimpactandforceamplification”comparedtomoretraditionalmodels”.3Thecampaignconcentratesattentionandhelpsraiseparticipants’morale.Partnersvaluethesenseofsolidaritythatbeingpartofthecampaignbrings.Forsome,itbringsaddedcredibilitytotheircitylevelwork.Thefactthatmultiplecitiesareengagedinacommonendeavourhasbeenhelpfultomanyofthecitylevelpartners.Onefeltthat“hearingthatothershavethesameproblemsmadeusfeellessisolated”andanothernotedthat“havingtheopportunitytoworkalongsideagroupofpeoplewithasharedcommitmenttosignificantsystemchangeisanalltoorareopportunity”.EventhoughthecampaignisnotyetestablishedacrossEurope,somepartnersstillexpressedthesensethattohavea‘Europeancampaign’aroundwhichpeoplewererallyinghelpedthemfeelpartofsomethingbigger.Thiswasgoodformoraleandhasboostedcredibility-“ithelpsusstrengthenourargumentstobeabletorefertothecampaign”-aswellashelpingtogivesomeadditionalfocustothecampaignlocally.Incontrast,oneintervieweefeltthat"it’snot[yet]anadvantagetomentiontheEuropeancampaignlocally.ItneedstoreachfurtherbeyondtheUKandSpainfirst".Andonepartneralsosensedthatthecampaign’scredibilitywasnotyetestablished:“[weare]waiting…formoreresults.Itneedsmoretime”.

3TomLiacas&JasonMogus,“NetworkedChange:HowProgressivecampaignsarewoninthe21stcentury”,NetChangeConsulting,2016

3 Implementation and management

3.1 SUPPORTBSHFPROVIDES

PartnersareverypositiveabouttheoverallsupportthatBSHFprovides.PartnerscommendedBSHFforbeing“veryresponsive”andparticularlyforthefacilitativenatureofthesupportbeingprovided:“BSHFhavebeenperfect..theyhavegivenalotoflatitudetolocaldecisions,andsupportisthereifneeded”.Onepartnernotedthat“logisticalsupport…isfaultless”.Surveyresultscorroboratethisinterviewfeedback.Acrossarangeofareas,themajorityinmostcasesstronglyagreedthatthesupportBSHFhadprovidedhasbeeneffective:

Figure3:Partners’survey:FeedbackonBSHFsupport

Andpartnersarepositivetooaboutthespecificsupportpackagesonoffer.

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Establishingeffec7vewaysoftrackingandassessingprogressbeingmade

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Suppor7ngmyorganisa7ontoplanandtakeac7on

Communica7ngaboutthecampaign

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BSHFhasbeeneffec.vein...

Stronglydisagree Disagree Neitheragreenordisagree Agree Stronglyagree

Surveyresponsesshowthatpartnersvaluethedifferentelementsofsupportavailable.Resultssuggestthatpartnersparticularlyvaluetheannualgathering,andthebespokesupport:

Figure4:Partners’survey:Feedbackonspecificresourcesupport

Partners’feedbackonthewebinarswasalsopositive:“Thecampaignislearningbydoing,solivefeedbackonprogressofothersattemptingthesamethingisveryinterestinganduseful”.Acoupleofpartnerssuggestedfuturewebinarscouldbemoreinteractive,withmorespacetoshareexperiences.Partnerscommendedthetoolkittoo,withonecallingit“fantastic”,althoughonerespondentcommentedthatitwasdifficulttonavigate.Asonepartnerputit,“Ifyouhavethetoolkitandwebinars,youhavethebasisforthecampaigninyourowncity”.

onlinetoolkitwebinarstailoredsupportannualgathering

Howhelpfulhavethefollowingresourcesbeen...

Nothelpful Par<allyhelpful

Generallyhelpful Veryhelpful

SomepartnersmentionedthepossibilityofBSHFbeingmoreactivelyinvolvedincampaignpromotionandcommunication(seesection5.2).Volunteerssurveyedalsofeltwellsupported,showinggoodagreementstostatements‘IwasgiventhesupportIneeded’and‘It’sbeenclearwhatwasexpectedofme’[seeFigure2).

3.2 SHARINGLEARNINGANDTRACKINGPROGRESS

Partnersarepositiveabouthowlearningissharedbutsaythereisroomformore.Thereisanaturaltendencyforcitiestoexchangewithcitiesintheirowncountry,buttheremaybeincreasingopportunitytoextract-andmorewidelyshare-generalisablelessonsfromcities'experiences.Accordingtoonepartner,“Weareconstantlylearningfromothers.BSHFisgoodatsharingthelearning–throughtoolkits,regularupdates,bringingpeopletogether”.Andpartnersvaluethissharingofintelligence.Asonesurveyrespondentputit,itis“Incrediblyusefultogetmultipleperspectivesonsimilarissues,learningmoreaboutdifferentcontextsandpotentialsolutionsfromotherareas”.Buttherewasalsoastrandoffeedbackalongthelinesthatthereisscopeformoresharingofinformationandreflections,throughBSHF’scoordinationrolebutalsobilaterallybetweencities.Whilstrecognisingthatcontextsaredifferent,especiallybetweencountries,somecitypartnerspointedtoanumberoflikelyissuesincommonwherethevalueinsharingisnotbeingfullyexploited.Somepartnersidentifiedthatmoreorganic,city-to-citysharingisalreadyhappening,andthatinteractionbetweencities“doesnotdependonmediationfromBSHF.Weknowpeoplewell”.Therearesomesignsofnewercitieslearningfromtheoriginaltranche.Butothersfeltthiswasstillpatchyandpartial:“Peoplestickwiththepeopletheyknow”;“Thereisnotenoughcommunicationbetweencities…[we]needmoreregularupdatesoraregularforumforexchange”.Onepartnermadetheimportantpointthat,asnumbersofparticipatingcitiesgrow,thenlearningopportunitiesmayneedtobemoredisaggregated–forexamplebyseparating‘old’and‘new’citiesinwebinarsandinotherlearningmoments.SeeRecommendation4.Approachestotrackingandreportingshouldbefurtherdevelopedasthecampaigngrows.Somerespondentsidentifiedaneedforaclearerreal-timesenseofcampaignoutcomesandachievements.Oneintervieweeforexampleacknowledgedthat“Tangibleresultsarenotcollatedproperly…Thereisalotofinformationgoingaroundthatisnotbeingcollated”.

Surveyfindingsalsopointtopartnersseeing‘trackingprogress’asbeingacomparativelyweakareaofimplementationinthecampaigntodate(seeFigure1).Thisareadidn’tfeaturestronglyinpartnerfeedbackbutneverthelesswethinkthatwhilstsomeinformationisflowing,trackingsystemswillneedtobestrengthened,especiallyasthecampaigngrows,sothatinformationismorecomprehensivelycollectedandshared.Astronger,moreembeddedapproachtomonitoringprogresswould• GiveBSHFandcitypartnersaclearersenseofwhetherthecampaignisontrack,and

allowforinformedreview,andsupportadaptationwhereneeded.• Helpparticipantsshowthedirectionoftravelandhighlightachievements,importantto

buildingsupportforthecampaign-“Ifcommunitiesareachievingsuccess,andthevalueofHousingFirstisdemonstrated,itwillsnowball”.

• Helpbuildaninternalsenseofmomentum.• Provideclearerevidenceonthenumbersofpeoplebenefittingfromthecampaign(see

section4.4)• Allowforthecollectionandcollationofindividualstories.The100kHomesCampaigndevelopedasetofSMARTobjectivesandatarget-focusedapproach.Butthisdoesn’tsoundlikethesortofapproachBSHFshouldadopt,giventhatit’shardtoseehowlinearmodelsofchangeareappropriatetothiscampaigncontext,andinthelightoftheneedforanytrackingsystemdevelopednottobetooformalised,ortoactasaconstraintonlocalflexibility.Henceonepartnernotedthat“ThewholethingistoocomplexforBSHFtosetoutaframeworkforwherepeopleshouldbe”.Butsomelight-touchsystemsthatallowprogresstobecapturedandconsideredarelikelytobebeneficial.SeeRecommendation5.

4 Campaign outcomes Thecampaignisbeginningtodemonstrateasetofoutcomesthatshowprogresstowardsthegoalofsecuringsustainablehousingforstreethomelesspeople.

4.1 IMPROVEDEVIDENCEBASE

Forsomecities,conductingthestreetsurveyshasgeneratedvaluablenewdataandevidence.The2016evaluationidentifiedthatresultsinValencia“werehighlysignificant…forthefirsttimeitprovideddetailedinformationaboutthemake-upofthatpopulationandpeople’sindividualneeds”,andthatthesurveyrevealednewinformationaboutpeoplelivingonthestreetsinBarcelonatoo.

Thissenseoftheusefulnessofthedatacamethroughinthesurveyresults,withhighagreementthatthecampaignhasbeensuccessfulinproducingnewevidence(Figure8),andthatithasresultedinhavingbetterdata(Figure9).Partnershighlightedthatthesurveyshaduncoveredcertainparticularlyrelevantpiecesofinformation,suchasthenumberofhomelesspeoplewithGPs,ornumberswhohadbeenarrested,orwhohadattendedAccident&Emergencyservices.Insomecities,thesefindingsrevealednewinformationandhelpedmakethecaseforaction:“Datahasbeenuseful,particularlysomeoftheimpactmeasures,thethingsthatmakepeopletakenotice–andsomeofthehumanstories–theseareimpactful”.Butpartnersdidnotuniversallyregardthedatafromthesurveysassignificant.Somebelievedthatthatdatadidnotaddtoinformationthatalreadyexisted,andthattheaddedvalueofthesurveyswaslimited:“Itconfirmedwhatweknew.Wehadgoodlocaldata,thenumberswerenosurprise.Itgaveusevidence,casestoriesofthesituationofthestreethomeless”.GlasgowhasnotyetconductedaConnectionsWeek,partlybecauserobustdataalreadyexists.Alsoonerespondentmadethepointthatdatasnapshotsarenotasusefulaslivedatathatallowsfortrackingofprogress.Aspartofthedevelopingcampaignsupportprogramme,CroydonpartnershavebeenselectedtoworkwithCommunitySolutions–thecoordinatorsofthe100KHomesCampaignintheUS–tolookatwaysthatthiscouldbedone.

4.2 ENHANCEDENGAGEMENTANDINTEREST

Inmanycities,therearepositivesignsofgrowthofinterestin,andsupportto,thecampaignanditsprinciplesfromlocalcivilsocietyorganisationsandassociations.The2016evaluationnotedthat,inWestminster,“[TheConnectionsWeek]wasthefirsttimeforyearsthatthemanyorganisationsdeliveringhomelessnessservicesinWestminsterhadworkedtogetheronasingleproject”.Andtherearesomeadditionalsigns,indifferentcities,ofadevelopingengagementandwillingnesstoexploresolutionscollaboratively.Inonecity,forexample,thecampaignSteeringGroupnowincludesarepresentativeoffaith-basedgroups,asignificantadditioninthatinthepastfaith-basedgroupshavetendedtobemarginaltopublicsector-ledinitiatives.Therearesignsofprogresselsewheretoo.Acitypartnernotedpreviousresistancetoengagefromgroupsworkingwithroughsleepersbutthatthemajorityofgroupsnow“arenowwillingtositroundatableandcoordinatearesponse”.Andanothercitypartnerfeltthat,“themovementisgrowing…somearerespondingpositively,othersare[still]notsosure”.

PartnersfeltthatholdingtheConnectionsWeekhasbeenimportantinbuildingconsensus;it“madeusvisible,ledtomoreassociationsjoiningthecampaign–itmadeusmorecredible”.And,moregenerally,“thecampaignhas…improvedthequalityofthediscussion”.Butinsomeplacescontinuingchallengesremain,withtalkinonecityof“asenseofterritoriality”andinanotherthat“otherNGOsrejectHousingFirstandsticktothesameapproach”.Partnersmentionedthatthereissomeevidenceoflocalmediacoverageandsocialmediadissemination.The2016evaluationnotedthattherehadbeen“solidandpositivecoverage”ofthecampaigninmediaandsocialmedia.Thereportedrangeofsocialmediacoverageforthecampaigninsurveyresults(across‘very’,‘mostly’and‘partly’successful)probablyreflectsvariationinpartners’existingsocialmediapresence.Surveyresponsesshowtoothatasmallnumberofpartnersidentifythattherehasbeen‘verysuccessful’localmediacoverage,withhalfsuggestingthatcoveragehasbeen‘mostlysuccessful’).Reportedresultsfornationalmediacoverageare,notsurprisingly,lower(Figure8).WeunderstandthatincitieslikeCroydonandBrusselstherehasbeensomepositivelocalmediapick-up,inthelattercaseincludingbyjournalistvolunteersinvolvedinthecampaign.Oneissuethatcouldprovechallenginginrelationtomediacoverage,andcommunicationsandframingmoregenerally,isthat,asoneintervieweeexplained,“alotofthecitieshavegothighlevelsofpeoplewhoaremigrantsorrefugees…that’snotthestorypeoplewanttohearordealwith…[but]ifyouaretalkingaboutthedata,aboutcollectingstoriesanddata,youcan’tthenignoreitwhenit’snottellingyouwhatyouwanttohear”.SeeRecommendation6.CommunityengagementhasgenerallybeenstrongduringConnectionsWeeks.Asnotedabove,onecornerstoneelementofthecampaignisthat“weareenablingpeopletohaveanopportunitytodosomethingaboutit.Thecampaignisallaboutthewholecommunity”.TheConnectionsWeekshavegenerallybeensuccessfulinattractingsupportfromlargenumbersofvolunteers,withagoodmixofpreviouslycommittedvolunteersandthosewithnohistoryofpastinvolvement.Volunteersurveyresponsesconfirmthatahighproportionofvolunteershadnotpreviousinvolvementinsupporthomelessnessefforts(nearly50%inWestminsterandover50%inBarcelona):

Figure5:Volunteers’previousinvolvementinhomelessnessissues

Barcelonan=70,Westminstern=32Partnersnotedthatinsomecities,suchasBrusselsandCroydon,itwasstrikinghowvolunteerscamefromdiversebackgrounds(althoughoneWestminstervolunteerfelt“itwasgearedtowardsyoungerpeople…whowerenotparticularly'thecommunity'”).Thissupporthasbroughtenergytothecampaign:“TherewasabigchangewhenwedidtheConnectionsWeek…Forustoseethelevelsofsupport,peoplewantingtohelp,itwasaverygoodexperience.Otherassociationswerescepticalaboutusingvolunteers,itwasagooddemonstrationthatitwaspositive.Sincethen…moreassociationsarerealisingthatcitizensmustbepartofamovement”.Inmostcases,effortsatinvolvingthecommunityinamoreongoingwayareintheirearlystages.Thisisanareathatmanycitiesarecommittedtodeveloping.Croydonhasledthewayindevelopinganapproachthatsupportsongoingcommunityinvolvement,throughestablishingfive‘TaskandFinish’groups.Thegroupsaremakingprogress,slowly,andvolunteerinvolvementisopeningdoorsforthecampaign:“wearelinkedinwithmorecompanies,largeorganisationswewouldn’totherwisehavebeen”.Otherpartnersaregenerallypositiveaboutinvolvingcommunitymembersinfindingsolutionstoproblemsofhomelessness.Oneintervieweestressedthat,“Professionalsdon’thavetheanswer,that’swhythecommunityengagementaspectissoimportant,awaytodiversifythegroupofpeopleworkingontheproblem”.Anotherpointedoutthat,“[involving

21% 21%

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Iwasac.velyinvolved Ihadsomepastinvolvement

Ihadnopastinvolvement

“Wereyouinvolvedinanyvolunteerworktotrytohelpendhomelessness,orhelppeopleaffectedbyhomelessness,inyourcitypriorto

thiscampaign?”

Barcelona

Westminster

membersofthecommunity]givesabroaderrangeofopinions…professionalscomeupwiththesameanswers…itmakesyourealisehownarrowyourfocusis”.Butreflectingonhowcommunitymembershadbeeninvolvedinthecampaigntodate,acoupleofsurveyrespondentsidentifiedthatprogressinthisareahadbeenlessthantheyhadhoped.Onenotedthat“abitmoretimeisneededtoworkouthowcommunityinvolvementwillworkinpractice”.Asnotedabove(section2.1),volunteersarekeentobemoreinvolvedinthecampaign.Somecitypartnersaredevelopingconcreteideasandplanstoexpandthiselementofthework.Insomecities,volunteersareprovidingpastoralsupport,torehousedformerhomelesspeopleforexample,orthereareplanstosetupandexpandthiskindofsupport.Volunteerinvolvementislikelytoinvolvecommunitymembersasadvocatestoo-“some[volunteers]havegoodcontactswithdecisionmakers…weareworkingonit,thatwillbeabiggerpartinthefuture”.Andtherearesomeplanstoinvolvevolunteersinfindingsolutions;inonecase,forexample,ateamofvolunteersisbeingtaskedwithsourcinghousing.

4.3 TOWARDSCHANGESINPOLICYANDPRACTICE

Therearesomesignsthatmunicipalauthoritiesareengagingwiththecampaign.Somelocalauthoritiesaresupportingthecampaignasactual,ordefacto,partners,aswithTorbayandCroydon.Inothercases,therearesomesignsofengagement:“Itisdifficulttoworkwithpolicy-makers,wearetryingtochangetheirwholeapproach.Butthedoorisopen,theylisten”.Andthereareexamplesemergingofsolutionsbeingdevelopedorconsidered,oratleastidentified.InCroydon,forexample,contractspecificationsaroundlengthofstayintransitionalaccommodationarebeingreviewed,havingbeenraisedthroughthecampaign.Meanwhile,Torbayhasestablishedamulti-stakeholderSystemsOptimisationGrouptoshareinformationanddiscusssupportprovision.This,itwassaid,hascoincidedwiththecampaign,notcausedbyit,butthecampaignisfeedinginusefulexamplesandevidencetothegroup.Therearesomeexamplesofapparentinfluenceonmunicipalauthorities’policyandpracticeemerging,but-notsurprisinglygiventhechallengesinvolved-progresstendstobeslowevenwherecommitmentsareinplace.EvidencefromValencia,forexample,showsprogressbeingmade,butalsohowslowlythingscanmove:• The2016evaluationnotedthatthe“Mayor,regionalgovernmentandmunicipality…are

supportingaHousingFirstpilotinthecityasaresultofthe[ConnectionsWeek]”;• Towardstheendof2016,thishadbeenformallyannounced,asnotedinthecampaign

Decemberupdate:“FollowingtheirRegistryWeek,ameetingbetweenRAISFundación,

Valencia’sMayorandtheregionalgovernmentledtotheannouncementofaHousingFirstpilotbeinglaunchedinthecity”;

• Finally,inAugust2017,acityupdateconfirmsanagreementtolaunchthispilotisinplace:“asignedagreementwiththecitycouncilforaHousingFirstpilottolaunchintheautumn.Thecommitmentisforfiveunitsratherthantheinitial10plannedyetitisagoodfirststep”.

Asimilardynamic–withprospectsofchange,butslowprogress–isevidentinWestminster,wherethe2016evaluationreportsa“meetingofagenciesonpost-RegistryWeekcommitments,inputintocouncilroughsleepingstrategy”.Amorerecentupdateonthisisthat“[thelocalauthority]saidtheywerere-evaluatingtheWestminsterroughsleepingstrategy.Thenitwentquiet.Theyarestillengaged…”Inothercitiestoo,localauthoritiesaremakingsomepositivecommitments.HousingFirstisapolicypriorityfortheGlasgowgovernment,forexample.AndinSpain,HousingFirstisincludedinnationalstrategy,withtheonusnowoncityandregionalauthoritiestodevelopplansaccordingly.Buttherearealsoexamplesoflocalmunicipalitiesshowingcontinuingresistance,oratleastreluctancetoengagemeaningfully.Onecitypartner,forexample,reportedthat“Thelocalauthorityisnotagainsttheinitiative,thereissomeinterest,buttheyarenotreallycommitted,theyhaveanothervision…Wearebuildingmomentum…Wehaven’tseenachangeintheirvision.Thetaskofthecampaignistochangeit.Butit’snoteasy”.Inanothercity,weheardthatthelocalcouncilbaulkedatleasinglandforhousingatlowcostbecauseofarunofbadpublicityrelatingtohomelesspeople,drugsandpettycrime.Onecitypartnersuggestedthattheslownessofprogressraisedaquestionofhowseriousthecommitmentoftherelevantauthoritiesreallyis,alsostressingtheimportanceofmaintainingenergywithinthecampaignwhereprogressisstalled.

4.4 IMPACTONPEOPLEWHOARESTREETHOMELESS

Byimpactwemeanthe“significantorlastingchangesinpeople’slives,broughtaboutbyagivenactionorseriesofaction”.4Therearesomeearly(butnotalwaystotallyclear)signsthatsmallnumbersofpeoplehavebeenbeinghousedasaresultofthecampaign(orthatthecampaignhasinsomewaycontributedtothis).InTorbay,thecampaignhascontributedtoten(orbysomeaccountseight)peoplebeinghoused.Thiswasconfirmedinarecentcampaignbulletin,whichnotedthatTorbayhad“madegreatprogressintheircampaignbyfindinghomesforeightoftheindividualswhohadbeensleepingonthestreets…[as]adirectresultofthelocalcampaign'sactions”.

4ChrisRoche,‘ImpactAssessmentforDevelopmentAgencies:LearningtoValueChange’Oxfam,1999

Numberssuggestedbyrespondentsinvariouscitieshavenotalwaysconsistent;wehearddifferentfiguresfromdifferentpeopleinthesamecity.Areasonableestimatewouldbethatmaybe20peopleintotalhavebeenhousedthroughthecampaigntodate,halfofthemfromTorbay.Additionally,itappearsthatsmallnumbersofpeoplewhoweresurveyedduringConnectionsWeeksweresubsequentlyaccommodated,butnotdirectlythroughthecampaignitself(inCroydon,BrusselsandTorbay).LookingaheadthereisapositiveforecastfromGlasgow,whichisabouttoimplementnewHousingFirstdemonstrationprojects,withfirstresultsexpectedbytheendoftheyear.SeeRecommendation7.Partnersmentionthatthereareotherbenefitstostreethomelesspeople–forexamplethroughthehumanisingexperienceofthesurveyengagement–butwehavelimitedinformationaboutthis.The2016evaluationnotedthehumanisingvalueof“Speakingwithsomeonewhohadtimetotalk,ateachperson'spaceandwasn'tdrivenbycommissionedoutreachtargets”.SomepartnersechoedthissensethatthequalityofengagementduringtheConnectionsWeeksitselfhassomebenefitandonevolunteeralsomadethispoint:“ThefeedbackIreceivedfromsomeoftheroughsleepersIspoketowasthatitfeltdifferenttohavemembersofthecommunityratherthantheprofessionalworkerstalktothem”.Anothernotedthat“Imetsomepeoplewhohadn'thadaconversationwithsomeoneinweeks”.Thesurveyresultspointtosomeotherperceivedbenefits,althoughnotstrongly,inthattherewasatleastsomedisagreementexpressedinresponsetoeachquestion:

Figure6:Partners’survey:Perspectivesonbenefitstolocalhomelesspeople

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Enhancedconnec0onswiththelocalcommunity

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Astrongervoiceindecisionsabouttheirfuture

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Forpeoplewhoarehomelessandsleepingonthestreetslocally,thecampaignhasledto...

Verypractically,inCroydon,anumberofthosesurveyedweren’tpreviouslyknowntotheoutreachteam,meaningthat“23peoplenotknowntooutreachservicesarenowbeingsupported”.Onevolunteermentionedthevalueinhomelesspeoplebeinginvolvedinthesearchforsolutions:“Itwouldbeinterestingtobeabletoincreasethecommunicationbetweenthehomelessandthosethatoffertheservicessincetherearemanythingstoimprove,andtheythemselvescanhavepracticalandeffectivesolutions”.Wehavenothaddirectinputfrompeoplewhoarestreethomelessaspartofthisreview.

4.5 COMMENTARYONPROGRESSANDACHIEVEMENTS

Thecampaignisnotyetachievingchangeatscalebutitwouldnotberealistictoexpecttoseethissosoon.Thereareenoughsignsofprogresstobeencouragedabouttheapproachbeingtaken.BSHFandpartnersarerightlyinterestedinhowsuccessfullythecampaignishelpingthosewhoarestreethomelessgetintosecure,sustainablehousing.Butcampaignsaimingtosecuresystemicchangearenotobviouscandidatesforquickwins:“Ifitwasstraightforwarditwouldhavebeensolvedalready”.Itisalsoimportantcontext,asmentionedinthesurvey,thatmanypartnersareundertakingthisworkalongsideexistingworkloads:“ourmajorissuehasbeencapacity…Thecampaigndoesneedlongterminvestmentoftimetobesuccessful”.Inanumberofcities,shortageofhousingstock/landseemstobeakeybarrier.ItseemsthatevenwherecityauthoritiescollaboratecloselywithcampaignpartnersandsupportHousingFirst,theymaybeunabletoapplyitinpractice.Manypartnersflaggedissuesaroundshortageofhousingandeventhedifficultiesofacquiringlandforhousing.Onecouncilislookingatusingexistinghousingstockdifferentlyforexample.Butinotherlocations,theblockageseemstomorecomplexthanbeingjustaboutfreeingupexistinghostelaccommodation.Inonecity,forexample,“TheCouncilaretalkingaboutit,it’sontheagenda.Thechallengeistosecuretheaccommodation”.Inanother,thereappeartobeideas,butalsoproblems,aroundleasingoracquiringland.Itseemstherearesomecommonthemesaroundhousingsupplyandhowthebarrierstothiscanbeovercomeandhowpartnerscanbestbeinvolvedinfindinghousingsolutionsthatcouldbeusefullyexploredacrosscities.SeeRecommendation8.

5 Looking ahead

5.1 GROWINGTHECAMPAIGN

ThereisasetofconsiderationsandoptionsforBSHFaroundwhether,howandhowfast,andwhere,togrowthecampaign.Partnerssupportgrowthinthenumberofparticipatingcitiesinprinciplebutidentifysomeconcernsinpractice,includinginrelationtothecampaign’scapacitytosupportamuchlargernumberofcitieswhilebeingsurethatthosealreadyinvolvedhavereachedalevelofengagementsuchthattheirrelianceonBSHFislimited.The2016evaluationindicatesacampaigntarget“toengageupto50Europeancities…by2020”.Thisspeedofgrowthseemsunlikelygiventhereisalimittohowmanynewcitiescouldreasonablybetakenoneachyear.Butitdoesreflectapresumptionofgrowth,andthatthisismanageable,basedonthelogicthat“themorewegrowitthemoreimpactitwillpotentiallyhave”.Feedbackfrominterviewsandfromsurveyrespondentssuggeststhatpartnerssupporttheideaofgrowthinprincipleandcanseethebenefits,includingintermsofconsolidatingthecampaign,generatingincreasedinterestandvisibility,andbuildingandsharingknowledgeamongstacommunityofcities.Butpartnersarealsoawareoftherisksandchallenges.Wediscussissuesaroundcoordination,governanceandresourcingbelow.Somealsomentionedconcernsaroundpossibledispersalanddilutionofeffortandfocus:“[thecampaign]needsastrongcentralbodytokeepthefocusonimpactandfacilitatethesharing.ThismaybelostifBSHFisspreadtoothinly”.Hencetherewasastrandofopinionamongstpartnersthatanygrowthneedstobemanagedcarefullyandsequencedright.Onepartnersuggestedthat“Youneedtohaveaveryactiveanddynamiccoregroup,withamomentum,beforeyoutoexpandfurther”.Anothernotedthat“Maybeweshouldbecarefulnottohavetoomanycitiesinvolved,becauseitwillbedifficulttobecomeactive,involvedandpersonal,whichisimportantinsuchcampaigns”.Somefeltitwouldbehelpfultodemonstratesuccessmoredefinitivelybeforeexpandingthenumberofcitiesinvolved.Onepartnernotedthat“Ifwe'renotabletoevidenceimpactofthecampaign,theconcernisthatthecampaignisonlyatalkingshop...Weneedtokeepshowingpeoplethatitdoeswork”.Anotherfeltthatitwouldbeeasiertopromoteandexpandthecampaign,onceresultsareclearer:“theproblemisthattherearesomeexamplesbut…theydon’tseemrelevanttoEurope…Ifwecanshow[it’spossibleinEurope]thatwouldbevaluable”.In

relationtothis,variouspartnersfromothercitieshavehighhopesforTorbayasacitythatcanleadthewayinshowingthatthisapproachcanbesuccessful.Onedescribeditas“agoodtestingground”,althoughsuccessheremayraiseaquestionofhowtransferableeffectivepracticeinasmalltownwitharelativelyfavourablecontextistolarger,morecomplicatedcities.Citycampaignsseemtobemosteffectivewhentheybuildonexisting,iflatent,supportforchange.Therearesomestrategicchoicesthatthecampaignmightwanttomakearoundhowmuchtofocusontheareaswherethereismostlikelytobe(relatively)quickprogress.It’sbecomingapparentthatasetofconditionshelpunderpincitylevelprogress:• Support,oratleastconstructiveinterest,frommunicipalauthorities;• Partnerswhoarecommittedtothecampaignprinciplesandwillingandabletoshow

leadershiptoadvancethem;• Partnerswhohaveexistinglocallinksandrelationships,orhavethepotentialtodevelop

them,includingwithdecision-makers.

It’sprobablytruethatincitieswheremostprogresshasbeenmadesofar,alocal‘willingnesstochange’coincidedwiththecampaign,ratherthanbeingcreatedbyit.Thecampaignhasthenhelpedbuildandinstitutionalisethissupport.Therelationalaspecttothisiskey.Asonepartnerputit,“Youhavetoinvesttimeinbuildingtrustwithalltheservice-providers.Ittookalongtimebutoncewehavethetrust,wecoulddeliverabetterapproach…Thecampaignhasbeenavehicle,itgaveusanethostogatherpeoplearound”.Andanotherpartnersimilarlyhighlightedthisideaofthecampaignprovidingafocustomobilisearound:“Thecampaignisgreatincoalescinganeedforsystemicchange…Thecampaignhasunblockedthepathtoclosercooperation”.Thispointstotheexistenceinsome,perhapsmany,citiesofalatentdesireforchangethatthecampaignisabletoexploit.Thissuggeststhatthecampaignistimely.Atleastsomecityauthoritiesareopentochangeandthereisopportunitytopushon,andtakethisnewapproachtoendinghomelessnesstoanotherlevel.Butalsothatitislikelytobe“difficulttosucceedwithoutlocalauthoritysupport”.Andthatraisesthequestionofhowmuchthecampaigniswillingtotakeon‘hardercases’,wherethebarrierstochangearegreaterandthepaceofchangelikelytobeslower.Thislinksinwithdiscussionaboutexpandingthegeographicalreachofthecampaign.Thereislikelyatrade-offbetweenfindingconducivecities,wheresuccessisrelativelylikely,andexpandingtonewpartsofEurope,suchasCentralandEasternEurope.Oneonhand“beingcrediblyEuropeanandachievingnothingforbeingspreadtoothinlyisaworseoption”butontheother“theriskatthemomentthoughisthattheyworkwhereitiseasiest”.Maybetherightresponsetothisistobedeliberateinselectingamixofcities,ensuringtherearesomewhereconditionssuggesttherearereasonableprospectsofquickerwins(aswithTorbayforexample)butalsoinvolvingcitieswherethechallengesaregreater?

Asthecampaigngrows,theremayneedtobesomeadditionalcampaigncommunication(internallyandexternally)inlanguagesotherthanEnglish.CampaigncommunicationiscurrentlyinEnglish,whichmeansthat“languageisaproblemforsomecountriesandsomepeople”.Asitexpands,onesuggestionwasthatthecampaign“couldhavesomelevelofexchangeinEnglish,andsomeotherlevelsusingotherlanguageswhichallowsmorepeopleandmorecountriestobeinvolved”.Decisionsaboutlanguagearealsoaboutpositioning:“ExternallyitwouldbebetterifthereweremorelanguagesthanjustEnglish.Itwouldthenraisemoreattentioninsomeothercountries”.SeeRecommendation9.

5.2 AEUROPEANCAMPAIGN?

Somepartnersseethepotentialtodevelopamorecoordinatedcampaigningapproach.Thecurrent,city-basedmodelisaviableonebutsomefeltthatcomplementingthiswithsomemorecentralisedadvocacyisanalternativeworthconsidering.Severalintervieweesmadesuggestionsaroundhavingmoreofaunifyingcampaigngoaland/orsetofmessages.Asoneputit,“WhatBSHF[provide]iscentralresourcesandtraining,whichisuseful,buthasalimit.Wehavetodecideifwewanttocreateacommunicationcampaignshowingthingsarehappeninginmanycities”.Anotherasked:“Theprojectcancontinuetoprovidehelptoindividualcities,andthenwhat?ArewetryingtohaveaEuropeancampaign?”Maintainingthefocusofthecampaignatcity-levelacrossmultiplecities,withadegreeofcrossfertilisationbetweencities,isaviableoptionforthefuture.Butsomepointedtothedrawbacksofthis,offeringthecritiquethat,withoutanoverarching,unifyinggoal,thecampaignlacksavisionof“howtoreachatippingpointbywhich…themovementofthemostvulnerablepeopleoffthestreetsacrossEurope[gathers]momentum”.SomefelttoothatmoreproactivecommunicationswouldhelpgenerateagreatersenseofbeingpartofaEuropeanmovement.Andforsome,theabsenceofnationalorregionalleveladvocacyalsomissestheopportunitytojointhedotsandsupportlocallevelwork,asthefollowingquotesillustrate:• “Alotoftheproblemsrelatetonationally-decided,centralgovernmentpolicy…[asthe

campaigngrows]herecouldbescopeforsomesemi-coordinatedadvocacyfromacrosscities”.

• “Therearepocketsofsupport[forHousingFirstandthecampaign]amongNGOsandauthoritiesacrossEurope,soweneedtoconnectthemup”.

• “Thereisaninternationalassociationofmayors.Woulditbeusefultoraisequestionofhomelessnessatthislevel?Ifwegoonbothsides,wemightprogressmorequickly”.

SeeRecommendation10.

5.3 FUTURECOORDINATIONAPPROACHANDSTRUCTURES

Therearesomedifferentoptionsforhowthestructuralcoordinationofthecampaigncouldevolve.Alltheoptionshavesomeadvantagesbutnoneofthemprovideanobviousandclearrouteforward.Alongsimilarlinestotheoptionssetoutinthe2016evaluation,weseefourpossiblestructuralmodelsforthecampaign.1/BSHFremainsthecoordinatingbody.Oneoptionsetoutin2016evaluation.Thisisthemoststraightforwardandhasworkedtodate.But,asnoted,itislikelytobedifficultforBSHFtoleadagenuinelypan-Europeancampaignwithoutactivestrategicpartnerships:“ThereisalackofleadershipintermsofEuropeanhomelessnesscampaigning.BSHFisdoingthebestitcan,theygivegoodsupport,buttogofurther,weneedtheinvolvementofstrongEuropeanactors”.MaintainingthisapproachalsocreatesahighlevelofrelianceonBSHF’scontinuinginvolvement.2/BSHFoperatesinconjunctionwithaEuropeanstrategicpartner.Again,thiswasoutlinedasanoptioninthe2016evaluation.Onthefaceofit,FEANTSAistheobviousstrategicpartneratthepan-Europeanlevel,butthatwoulddependonprioritiesbeingaligned.BeyondFEANTSA,bymostaccounts,therearelimitedoptions,withfewifanyothershavingtherightkindofcombinationofgeographicalreachandinterest.3/BSHFpartfundsaleadbody.Thiswasathirdoptionsuggestedinthe2016evaluation,drawingontheCommunitySolutionsmodelappliedinCanada.Presumablyoption2couldevolveintothis,asBSHFprogressivelystepsback.Butithasthesamechallengesaswithoption2:notably,whowouldbetheleadbody?4/BSHFmaintainsoverarching(lighttouch)campaigncoordinationwithaseriesofcountryleadpartnersand/orcoalitionsresponsibleforcoordinationatcountrylevel.Thisoptionwasnotconsideredinthe2016evaluationreportbutacoupleofcontributorstothisreviewsuggestedsomethingalongthoselines.Suchamodelwouldbeconsistentwithcampaignaspirationtobebottom-upanditwould(intheoryatleast)allowfordifferentlevelsofcoordination,andofcommunication–bylinguisticgroup/nationallyforexample.Butitdoesintroduceanotherlayeroforganisationsowouldinvolvemorecomplicatedcampaignmanagementarrangement.Still,itcouldbeapossiblelongertermsolutionworthconsidering.

It’sgoodthatresourcingtosupportthecampaignisinplaceoverthemediumterm–butthismaynotfullyresolvethequestionofresourcing,dependingondecisionsaboutthecampaign'sstrategicpurposeandthefuturerolethatBSHFwillplay.BSHFhascommittedabudgettosupportthiswork,whichwethinkisveryhelpfulinensuringsomeleveloffuturestability.Existingbudgetsessentiallycoverstaffcostsandfundingforsupport–throughwebinars,bespokesupportfromconsultants,andanannualgathering.WhilstthisrepresentsasignificantcommitmentofsupportfromBSHF,therearestillquestionsastowhetherthisisadequateforfutureneed.Thereareplanstogrowthecampaignfairlysubstantially,withoutequivalentgrowthinresourcingorbudgets.Therationaleforthisisessentiallythat(i)growthbringseconomiesofscaleandthat(ii)citypartnerscanthemselvesplayanexpandedrole,sothatsupportbecomesmorebilaterallydriven,forexample.Theseseembroadlyreasonableassumptionsalthoughattheoptimisticendofthespectrum.However,oneconsequenceisthat,withgrowth,it’slikelythattheroleofBSHFbecomeslessaboutleadingthecampaignandmorearoundprovidinganoverallframeworkwithinwhichlocalcampaignscanoperate.Thiswillprobablymakeithardertotroubleshoot(andofferadditionalsupportwhere/ifneeded,forexample)andtherewilllikelybelessofarolethatBSHFcanplayinsharinglearning,andencouragingthis,acrosscities.Therecouldbepinchpoints,tooaroundtheexpandingcostsofmeetingsasnumbersgrowand,possibly,futuretranslationcosts.Itisalsountestedwhetherchampionswithinexisting(ornew)citiescantakemoreofarole.Oursenseisthattheyarewillingbutalreadystretched.AsBSHFisaware,thesequestionsaboutresourcingarelinkedtothoseaboutpartnershipsandstrategy.Partnershipswouldlikelybringadditionalresourcing.Anddifferentstrategiescomewithdifferentresourceimplications.IfthecampaignevolvestowardshavingacomplementaryEuropeanand/ornationaldimensionalongthelinesmentionedaboveinsection5.2,forexample,thenthereisaneedforcentralresourcingthatwouldn’totherwisebethere.Soitdoesn’tmakesensetothinkaboutresourcingoutofcontext.WhilstitisgoodthatafoundationalelementofBSHF’sresourcingsupportisbanked,thisdoesnotmakeitasettledissue.

5.4 DEVELOPINGTHESTRATEGY

Nowisagoodtimetoreviewtheoverallcampaignstrategy.Thereareasetofinter-relatedchoicesabout(a)whatsortof‘campaign’itshouldbe(b)whatthegrowthstrategyshouldbe(c)whatkindofstrategicpartnershipsshouldsupportnationallevelaction(d)whatresourcesareneededandwheretheyshouldcomefrom

(e)thebestsystemsforsharinglearningandencouragingcross-fertilisation,andtherolethatBSHFshouldplayinthis.Thestrategydeployedhasbeenappropriatetodate.Butasweflaginthisreport,therearesomedifferentideas,andviablealternativeoptions,thatitmightbegoodtoexplore.ButthenagainifBSHFdoesn’thavethescopeorinterestinturningthecampaignintosomethingdifferentfromwhatitiscurrently,thenthatitselfcouldstillbeaperfectlyreasonablepositiontoadopt.Inanycase,itwouldbehelpfultobeclearabouttheparametersandscopeforevolution.Thereisaquestionaboutwhoisinvolvedinconsideringfuturestrategy,withsomedifferentoptionsabouthowthatcouldbedone. Whatthefuturestrategymightlooklikeislinkedtoaquestionaroundwhomightbeinvolvedindevelopingthatstrategy.TodateithasbeenBSHF’svisionandstrategydrivingthecampaign’sevolution.BSHF–astheinitiatorandcoordinatorofthecampaign–hassetoutanoverarchingstrategicapproachwithinwhichthereisoperationalflexibility.ItmaybethatBSHFwouldliketoretainalevelofstrategic‘control’ofthecampaigninfuture.ButnowmightbeagoodtimeforBSHFtothinkaboutwhether,andhowmuch,toinvolvecitypartnersinthinkingthroughfuturestrategyoptions.Onepartnercalledforastructureddiscussionaboutstrategyamongstpartners,andothersmootedasimilaridea:“Theyaredoingagoodjob,but…maybeneedtogivespacetootheractors,shareleadership…”Thinkingaboutastrategydevelopmentprocess,theoptionsforthisareessentially:1. BSHFsetsoutthecampaignstrategyandinviteotherstobepartofit.2. BSHFretainsresponsibilityforstrategybutseekspartners’inputs(whichthisreportand

discussionarounditshouldprovide)beforesettingouttheproposedfuturestrategicdirection.

3. BSHFjointlydevelopsstrategywithpartners(orsomesubgroupof‘nominatedrepresentatives’)throughacollaborativeprocess.

Therearestrengthsandweaknessestoeachoftheseapproaches–butitcouldbehelpfultomakecleartheprocessandthelevelofparticipationofcitypartners.SeeRecommendation11.

6 Recommendations Recommendation1ReviewhowcampaignpositionsaroundHousingFirstaresetoutandcommunicated,toensurecommonunderstandingamongstparticipatingorganisations.Recommendation2Developguidancethatencouragespartnerstoupdatevolunteersandotherinterestedpartnersoncampaignprogress.Recommendation3Reviewhowcampaignpositionsaroundcommunityinvolvementaresetoutandcommunicated,toensurecommonunderstandingamongstparticipatingorganisations.Recommendation4Considerpracticalwaystoencouragelearningopportunitiesbetweencities,boththroughBSHFandbilaterally,takingintoaccountdifferentiatedneeds(accordingtogeographyandhistoryofinvolvementforexample).Recommendation5Developanapproachtocampaigntrackingandmonitoringthatsupportsbettergenerationofandaccesstoreal-timeinformation.Somepracticalstepscouldincludedeveloping:• An‘outcomebank’withsomeguidanceonwhatoutcomesareofparticularinterest;• Acampaign‘evidencedatabase’thatallcanaddto;• Supportandguidancearoundreviewinginformationinwaysthatfeedintoplanning;• Supporttoeffortstodevelopcasestudiesthatillustrateprogressbeingmade.Recommendation6Considerdevelopingsomeprotocolsandguidancearoundcommunicatingdifficultmessages,suchasinrelationtomigrantsandrefugees.Recommendation7Establish-aspartofcampaigntracking–asetofcommondefinitions/indicatorsthatclearlyexpressthechangesthecampaignseek(whichwouldincludenumbersofpeoplehousedinHousingFirstaccommodation,butalsomeasurestodowithhowthathousingstatusissustained);andagreehowthatinformationwillberecordedandreported.Recommendation8Considersettingupaprocessorforumtoconsidercommonchallengesandhowtoovercomebarrierslinkedtolimitsonhousingstockandland.Recommendation9Developagrowthstrategythatsetsoutideasonthespeedandsequencingofexpansiontonewcitiesandthebestmixofcitiestoinvolve,andimplicationsarisingfromthis(aroundlanguageforexample).

Recommendation10Considerthepotentialforcomplementingcity-leveladvocacywithsomecoordinatedadvocacythatdrawsonexperiencesacrosscities.Recommendation11Considerwhetherandhowbesttoinvolvepartnersindevelopingstrategicoptions.

Appendix 1: Campaign timeline

Figure 7: Summary campaign timeline

Oct�15

Jan�16

Apr�16

Jul�16

Oct�16

Jan�17

Apr�17

Jul�17

Oct�17

Valencia CW

Barcelona CW CW

Westminster CW CW

Copenhagen

PILOT�PHASE

Cardiff

Croydon

Brussels

Torbay

Glasgow

Alicante

Brighton

Toolkit�producedWebinars

participating�city

engaged�city

CW�=�Connections�Week

Peer�exchange�visit

Budapest

Leicester

BSHF-organised�city�gatheringsOther�city�meetings

Appendix 2: Campaign principles

1. Housing First: Ensuring (or working towards ensuring) homeless people are housed in permanent, safe, appropriate and affordable housing with support to sustain it.

2. Knowing who’s out there: Getting to know every homeless person by name by going onto the streets to find them and assess their needs.

3. Tracking progress: Regularly collecting person-specific data to accurately track progress toward ending homelessness.

4. Many people are concerned about the individuals in their communities who have no roof to sleep under and they want to play a meaningful part in helping to find solutions.

5. Improving local systems: Building coordinated housing and support systems that are simple to navigate, while targeting resources quickly to those who need it the most.

6. Learning from and sharing with others: Working collaboratively to help the campaign make the biggest difference to those who are homeless.

Appendix 3: Survey responses: campaign outcomes

Figure8:Partners’survey:Perspectivesoncampaignoutcomes

Figure9:Partners’survey:Perspectivesonorganisationalbenefits

0% 100%

ProducingusefulnewevidenceforNGOs,chari>esandagenciesworkingonhomelessnessissues

Genera>nglocalmediacoverage

BuildingabeCerunderstandingoftheproblemstobetackledinordertoendstreethomelessness

Crea>nginterestonsocialmedia

Influencingdecisionmakersinlocal,regionalormunicipalauthori>es

Involvingmembersofthecommunityinhomelessnesscampaigning

Genera>ngna>onalmediacoverage

Genera>ngcommunitysolu>onstocommunityproblems

Howsuccessfulwouldyousaythelocalcampaignhasbeensofarin...

Notatall Partly Mostly Very

0% 100%

Be,erlinkstorelevantlocalorganisa9ons

Astrongerinfluenceonlocaldecisionmakers

Improvedworkingrela9onshipswithrelevantlocalorganisa9ons

Aclearerideaabouteffec9vewaystohelppeopleoffthestreets

Be,erdata

Asaresultofpar-cipa-nginthecampaign,myorganisa-onorlocalcoali-onhas...

BSHF European End Street Homelessness Campaign evaluation€¦ · The European End Street...

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