Introducing the programme

The Homelessness Research Programme (HRP) is based in the Health and Social Care Workforce Research Unit (HSCWRU) at King’s College London and brings together researchers in the field of homelessness health and social care. HRP is supported by our lived experience Standing Advisory Group, which includes members from across England.

• Our ongoing webinar series on homelessness is free and open to all. Contact Jess Harris to join the mailing list or if you are interested in presenting your research or innovative practice.
• Homelessness on the blog.
• If you are a social worker you may be interested in joining the National Peer Network for social workers specialising in homelessness and rough sleeping and/or the London Peer Network for Homelessness Social Workers.

Recently from the HRP

1 October 2026: New study: first in England to examine specialist homelessness residential care.

14 July 2026: Expanding the role of social work in addressing homelessness and multiple disadvantage. National roundtable at King’s College London.

21 April 2026: Hess, C. et al. (2026) Precarious Capital: A Qualitative Study Investigating the Role of Relationships When Women Navigate Experiences of Homelessness and Violence. Violence Against Women.

16 April 2026: Tinelli, M. et al. (2026) Unveiling the Economic Implications of Gaps in Responses to Self-Neglect: Case Studies From Multiple Exclusion Homelessness and From Hoarding Behaviour Amongst Older Individuals, Health & Social Care in the Community.

8 April 2026: HRP co-lead Jess Harris quoted in The Guardian. 

17 March 2026: Launch of the London Peer Network for Homelessness Social Workers.

2 December 2025: An MCA roundtable (blog post from the HRP's mental capacity and homelessness study).

4 November 2025: Manchester City Council / HRP event on specialist homelessness social worker role, chaired by Sarah McClinton, Chief Social Worker for Adults, Department of Health and Social Care.

1 November 2025: HRP's 2019 report on Safeguarding Adults Reviews and homelessness downloaded over 10,000 times from the King's website.

17 July 2025: HRP work on homelessness, safeguarding and self-neglect recognized in the NIHR 2024/25 Annual Report.

20 May 2025: Homelessness researchers celebrated at Buckingham Palace garden party

6 March 2025: Martineau, S. (2025) Approaches to the mental capacity assessment of people experiencing multiple exclusion homelessness in England: A scoping paper, London: NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King's College London. King's news item | 10 minute walkthrough by Alex Ruck Keene KC (Hon)

For other HRP news check under the News tab further down this page.

Overview of the programme

The new NIHR RPSC study (started 1 October 2026) at the HRP examines Specialist residential care for people experiencing homelessness and multiple disadvantage. It follows an NIHR study on mental capacity assessment (publishing late 2026), and a 2025 scoping paper on this topic.

Also ongoing and involving HRP researchers is a major collaborative study Housing Model Evaluation (HOME) which asks: What are the health impacts of housing-led systems that provide housing plus intensive forms of support for people with histories of chronic/repeat homelessness?

Recent work includes studies on the specialist homelessness social work role and on social work education in England on the topic. Earlier, we examined Safeguarding Adults Reviews where homelessness was a factor in work commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care. This was followed by a NIHR School for Social Care Research study of adult safeguarding responses to self-neglect among people experiencing homelessness. A peer-led project engaged people with experience of homelessness in the production of a short film and accompanying report.

An evaluation of current out-of-hospital care models, commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care, reported in 2024. This grew out of a major study of hospital discharge arrangements for those experiencing homelessness (final report, October 2021). These studies are/were both led by Professor Michelle Cornes, who earlier undertook an analysis of Multiple Exclusion Homelessness and the utility of Communities of Practice.

The HEARTH study, led by Maureen Crane, which has examined primary health care for people who are homeless published its final report and briefing papers in October 2023. Dr Crane also led the groundbreaking longitudinal study of single homeless people who have been resettled (Rebuilding Lives) and was co-investigator on a completed study assessing the services for older people who are homeless and have memory problems.

Programme aims

• To understand better the health and social care needs and circumstances of people with experience of homelessness.
• To influence policy development on the prevention and alleviation of homelessness, and the improvement of health, social care and allied services for people with experience of homelessness.
• To contribute to theory development in this field.