Harm reduction in homelessness services: evaluating Simon Community Scotland's Safer Spaces approach
Lead Research Organisation:
King's College London
Department Name: The Policy Institute
Abstract
Scotland has one of the highest substance-related death rates in Europe. Drug deaths are now recognised as one of the biggest contributors to Scotland's falling life expectancy, and substance related deaths are far more common in Scotland now than they were two decades ago. Those with experiences of homelessness are at a much higher risk of negative outcomes from substance use than the general population. In this context, understanding how to support those experiencing homelessness who use drugs could potentially save lives.
There is a growing body of evidence on the effectiveness of harm reduction approaches to reduce the negative outcomes associated with drug use. Harm reduction refers to policies and programmes that tend to focus on the prevention of drug-related harm rather than the prevention of drug use. These approaches have been trialled in a range of settings internationally.
However, while the use of harm reduction in general has a strong evidence base, the use of harm reduction approaches in homelessness services has been studied less. This is a significant evidence gap, particularly in Scotland, where substance use related harms and deaths reflect disparities in health and social outcomes. The potential policy impacts of evaluating harm reduction approaches for homelessness services in Scotland are considerable.
Simon Community Scotland are a homelessness organisation in Scotland who have recently started using the Safer Spaces approach in their services. Their overall objective is to reduce drug related harms and deaths in their services and to 'promote safety and wellness over any requirement to stop or not use drugs' in their services. They report seeing early indicators of the benefits of this approach.
We propose conducting a pilot study to assess the feasibility of their approach and it's 'readiness for trial' to understand whether a full impact study could be conducted going forward. Our approach will include a literature review, the development of a theory of change, interviews with staff and service users, a review of administrative data, and the development of a proposed impact study design. Our approach will centre the voices of those with lived experience of homelessness and drug use, and foster collaborative relationships and knowledge sharing between academics, substance use treatment practitioners and organisations in the homelessness sector. The work will be overseen by a panel of experts by experience who have used Simon Community Scotland's services, and a steering group of relevant stakeholders including key homelessness organisations and leading academics.
Taking the first step towards a robust evaluation of the Simon Community Scotland's Safer Spaces approach will provide early evidence of promise for the approach, addressing a significant evidence gap. It will also prepare the ground to conduct a full impact evaluation. A full evaluation would have the potential to contribute robust evidence to the academic and policy debate, in turn influencing policy and service provision.
We are excited to submit this proposal to the UKRI for what we believe is an important area of academic and policy inquiry.
There is a growing body of evidence on the effectiveness of harm reduction approaches to reduce the negative outcomes associated with drug use. Harm reduction refers to policies and programmes that tend to focus on the prevention of drug-related harm rather than the prevention of drug use. These approaches have been trialled in a range of settings internationally.
However, while the use of harm reduction in general has a strong evidence base, the use of harm reduction approaches in homelessness services has been studied less. This is a significant evidence gap, particularly in Scotland, where substance use related harms and deaths reflect disparities in health and social outcomes. The potential policy impacts of evaluating harm reduction approaches for homelessness services in Scotland are considerable.
Simon Community Scotland are a homelessness organisation in Scotland who have recently started using the Safer Spaces approach in their services. Their overall objective is to reduce drug related harms and deaths in their services and to 'promote safety and wellness over any requirement to stop or not use drugs' in their services. They report seeing early indicators of the benefits of this approach.
We propose conducting a pilot study to assess the feasibility of their approach and it's 'readiness for trial' to understand whether a full impact study could be conducted going forward. Our approach will include a literature review, the development of a theory of change, interviews with staff and service users, a review of administrative data, and the development of a proposed impact study design. Our approach will centre the voices of those with lived experience of homelessness and drug use, and foster collaborative relationships and knowledge sharing between academics, substance use treatment practitioners and organisations in the homelessness sector. The work will be overseen by a panel of experts by experience who have used Simon Community Scotland's services, and a steering group of relevant stakeholders including key homelessness organisations and leading academics.
Taking the first step towards a robust evaluation of the Simon Community Scotland's Safer Spaces approach will provide early evidence of promise for the approach, addressing a significant evidence gap. It will also prepare the ground to conduct a full impact evaluation. A full evaluation would have the potential to contribute robust evidence to the academic and policy debate, in turn influencing policy and service provision.
We are excited to submit this proposal to the UKRI for what we believe is an important area of academic and policy inquiry.
