Cost Benefit Analysis of the Value of the Not-For-Profit Supported Housing Sector to the Economy of the East of England

Objective – Spirals were commissioned for this EEDA funded project to meet the following objectives:

  1. Compile a Cost Benefit Analysis which identifies the value of the sector in terms of savings made to key public expenditure including criminal justice, social care and welfare benefits
  2.  Assist in raising awareness of the relevance of supported housing to Local Area Agreements, Local Strategic Partnerships and Investing In Communities partnerships.
  3.  Inform Government and Regional Agencies about the value of the not-for-profit sector in delivering outcomes
  4.  Inform commissioning arrangements
  5.  Identify where improvements in the working relationships between commissioners and providers can be made
  6.  Identify transferable lessons for services dealing with vulnerable socially excluded people

    Engagement – Spirals worked closely with the steering group that consisted of Housing Trusts, Regional Bodies, the Housing Federation and Supporting People to develop a programme of qualitative and quantitative work that met the objectives of the brief.

    The whole research project was carried out over a period of three months and Spirals received very high levels of satisfied feedback on our project management, flexibility and working relationship with the steering group throughout the project.

    Phasing – We began the research by concentrating on the quantitative element of the work.  This involved data collection to identify the number of organisations in the scope, the allocation of funding to those organisations, their location, the type of service they provide and the number of service users receiving service in a one year period.

    A full literature review was undertaken to discover existing research in the field and these two elements were combined during the modelling stage that developed models to undertake the cost benefit analysis.

    The qualitative part of the research was used to meet objectives 2-6 and involved a semi structured questionnaire to a proportional sample, focus groups and in depth analysis with a smaller sample to develop case studies of practice.

    Result – The final report ‘Adding Value? – Rebuilding Lives’ has been widely acclaimed and used by many third sector organisations, local authorities and government policy makers to look at how to deliver outcomes in the supported housing field.

    The work developed some new and innovative ways of measuring value such as individually costed lifelines and overall identified that for every £1 put into the sector by the public purse, £1.37 or benefits are derived.

    The qualitative element of the work has really contributed to the debate on commissioning arrangements, encouraging commissioners to focus on the outcomes rather than look at the efficiency of their commissioning arrangements

    A full copy of the report can be downloaded from the ‘Knowledge’ section of the website.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

Ref: 000164

 

 

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