Bill Edgar (Dundee University) Matt Harrison (RIS) Volker Busch-Geertsema (GISS) European Commission MPHASIS Mutual Progress on Homelessness through Advancing and Strengthening Information Systems Research Strand Budapest, March 14 th 2008 European Commission

Action Oriented Research Transferability of Good Practice  Service Provider Databases  Client Record Systems Usability of Core Variables Making Use of Administrative Data  Institutional Population Data  Population Register Data

European Commission Transferability of Good Practice Service Provider Databases  Test applicability of methodology in different national contexts  Approach for phased introduction and costs explained in detail in EU Measurement Study. Amendments necessary?  Assessment of existing databases and how they could be used, updated, aggregated etc.  Assessment of barriers for creating and maintaining a database and of possible ways to overcome them  Identification of likely costs and timescales, stakeholders to be involved and next steps to be taken  Selected countries for feasibility study: Italy and Austria

European Commission Transferability of Good Practice Client Record Systems  Adaptation of „Link“ System  System working in Dublin and different parts of UK  Test of transferability to other cities or regions  Adequacy of approach, necessary amendments, barriers and potentials for implementation, costs and timescales etc.  Selected countries: Sweden (sel. city) and Portugal (Lisbon)  Implementation of Data Extract Moduls and Protocols  For countries with several established client record systems  Use experience from Germany as one possible approach  Analyse existing obstacles and possible ways to overcome them in different national context  Selected country: France

European Commission Core Variables Test usability of Core Variables in all MPHASIS countries  Demographic characteristic (age and gender),  Nationality and migration background (country of birth),  Composition of homeless households,  Accommodation situation (immediately before service period and at time of data collection),  Duration of (current) homelessness  Reasons for (last) homelessness. Common understanding? Data available? Harmonisation possible? Amendments necessary? Obstacles for implementation of missing variables and possible solutions

European Commission Making Use of Adminstrative Data Institutional Population Data  Focus on persons about to leave prison who have no permanent home to go  Analysis and documentation of good practice in using institutional information for preventive intervention  Selected countries: Norway and Poland Population Register Data  Analyse potentials of population registers for information on scope and profile of homelessness  Which subgroups of homeless are covered (and which aren‘t)? Validity and reliability of data?  Identifying examples of good practice (for covering homeless people in registers and register based census)  Selected countries: Finland and Germany

European Commission Methodology Subcontracts with researchers from selected countries on basis of detailed research brief Researchers will analyse existing literature and documents, contact relevant agencies and experts to discuss the questions of the research brief and prepare a report on results and recommendations for various stakeholders at various geographical levels Reports will be published on MPHASIS-homepage On Core Variables there will be a questionnaire for all national partners and in-depth interviews, where implementation problems are reported Results should be available spring 2009

European Commission Outcomes expected More detailed guidance on implementation issues, on possible approaches and tools Revision and refinement of recommendations of EU- Measurement Study Increase visibility of good practices in developing and maintaining homelessness monitoring systems Show possible solutions for existing barriers and obstacles Improvement of capacity for measuring homelessness at local, regional, national and European level