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82. Evaluation of ASSIST’s Refugee Family Housing Pilot

Kada Research were commissioned by the Sheffield-based refugee and asylum charity ASSIST to evaluate their housing pilot, which housed individuals who have been granted asylum in the UK. Kada were asked to evaluate stakeholder, landlord and tenant perceptions of the housing pilot and consider potential growth scenarios for the housing programme.

Kada interviewed stakeholders from the charity, such as the accommodation team, management, and the maintenance team, to discuss their strategic goals, delivery of the project and how they would like to see the pilot progress. Kada then interviewed landlords who had supported ASSIST through donating houses to the project. They were asked about their motivations, communication with ASSIST and their future with the charity. Finally, Kada interviewed the families who live in the houses provided for ASSIST. The families were asked to discuss their experiences in the house, their relationship with ASSIST and any support they have received or would like to receive.

Alongside this, Kada used income and outgoings data provided by ASSIST to calculate a number of potential directions that the housing project could take. These calculations looked at the potential of taking on more family houses, opening houses for single refugees and taking on more core staff.

The housing pilot was found to be a profitable venture for the charity, helping them to support their core client base of those who are seeking asylum in the UK. There are advantages to increasing the scale of activity and diversifying further should the charity chose to. Further to this, feedback from tenants of the properties was overwhelmingly positive, with many stating that the housing had helped them to feel settled in Sheffield. Stakeholders and landlords were also largely positive about the pilot and its potential.

Our study director, Karl Dalgleish stated:

“This project highlighted the valuable work being carried out by ASSIST to support those seeking and granted asylum in Sheffield. Our work is helping ASSIST to make informed decisions about their next steps, helping them to build on the support they already offer and the lessons from the project”.

If you are thinking about commissioning and evaluation or if you would like to talk through an idea or hear about this work you can contact us at info@kadaresearch.co.uk.