The role of biographies in determining recovery in Housing First

Abstract

Housing First (HF) aims to overcome homelessness by offering immediate, independent accommodation in the community. In doing so, the model seeks to provide a foundation for client centred support that enables recovery from the ‘multiple and complex’ needs that multiply excluded homeless (MEH) adults experience. The majority of HF literature has focussed on the model’s very positive housing related outcomes. However, outcomes related to recovery and desistance have been less clear. This article draws on a qualitative, longitudinal evaluation of a HF service in a northern English city, following 18 MEH adults over 16 months in their HF tenancy. A situational approach was used to explore participants’ ability to utilize the foundation provided by HF achieve outcomes related to recovery and desistance. Findings demonstrated the importance of participants’ biographies in determining their ability to progress towards these outcomes. A key output of the article is a typology of participant’s biographies that was predictive of their trajectories in HF.

Keywords:

• Biography
• homelessness
• multiple exclusion
• housing first

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This article draws on PhD research completed at and funded by Northumbria University, through a Vice Chancellor’s scholarship.

Notes on contributors

Christopher Parker

Dr Christopher Parker is Programme Lead for ending homelessness in Newcastle upon Tyne, working for Crisis within the partnership with Newcastle City Council to end homelessness in the city. He previously worked for Newcastle City Council on their Homelessness Prevention Trailblazer programme. Prior to this, he completed his PhD at Northumbria University, which focused on the concept of choice in Housing First.