At Crisis we often get asked to support, endorse or respond to consultations on local homelessness strategies. We therefore developed a checklist tool to help us do this better and more consistently. The tool can be accessed from the resources section of our project site and we welcome feedback from anyone using it.

Identifying the need

As well as responding to requests for input, we also wanted something we could proactively share as a prompt for what we think should be included in strategies and how they should be developed. 

As always, we researched tools and materials that were already out there including NPSS’ strategy toolkit. This was published before the Homelessness Reduction Act and the updated statutory guidance (chapter 2) which is actually quite comprehensive compared to other chapters. We also published our Plan to End Homelessness in June 2018 which has plenty of relevant evidence and material, including a definition of what it means to end homelessness in local areas. We therefore concluded there was a clear need for the tool, especially after the commitment (no. 71) in the national Rough Sleeping Strategy.

Using the tool

The checklist is structured around the stages of strategy development and implementation:

• Conducting your review
• Developing the strategy
• Writing the strategy
• Implementing the strategy
• Monitoring and evaluating the strategy

There is a cover page to help with navigation. It can be read as one or you can read each section as appropriate. The overall document is intended to be a summary with links to further information and detail. It may be helpful to regularly check-in throughout the development process or you can do a quick self-assessment at the end to confirm you’ve covered everything. 

Further development

The tool has been developed using the statutory code of guidance and other best practice guidance, most notably our Plan to End Homelessness. As with all our work, we utilised user-centred design to develop various prototypes which we tested with the five local authorities in our partnership (and others who asked for it). The current tool is only the first version and we will continue to iterate based on feedback and latest guidance.

It is intended to be both ambitious and comprehensive, going further than the legal requirement towards a strategy that aims to end homelessness in local areas. We recognise that not everything will be practical or feasible for every local authority. Please contact us if you want to discuss the tool, your local area’s strategy or provide feedback. Any and all is welcome!