King's College London

Jess Harris (pictured) presented emerging findings from the Unit’s study on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) on 19 September in Utrecht in the Netherlands. Jess introduced the Act to delegates and discussed findings from the study's survey, and interviews with practitioners and people with lived experience. The project is an exploration of practice with the aim of improving access to health and social care for people with experience of homelessness and multiple disadvantage.

At the same session Prof Michelle Cornes (University of Salford, with a visiting position at King's) presented on the completed study on hospital discharge of people with experience of homelessness, and its subsequent evaluation study. Michela Tinelli (LSE) was also at the conference and discussed the economic component of the same work.

This was the 19th European Research Conference on Homelessness convened by the European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless (FEANTSA). Janet Robinson and Stephen Martineau, members of the Homelessness Research Programme at King's, were also in Utrecht. They joined with the three presenters in a visit organised as part of the conference programme to a homeless walk-in centre run by the Dutch branch of the Salvation Army (Leger des Heils).

The MCA study is currently piloting guidance for capacity assessment; it holds a roundtable with sector experts on 26 September to discuss emerging findings and possible routes to impact in the homelessness policy and practice space. The study finishes in spring 2026.