'You're Home' Project Evaluation Published, Presented to NI Assembly Members

On 4th of December, Commonweal, with partners East Belfast Mission (EBM) and commissioned evaluators from Queen's University Belfast, published the evaluation of the 'You're Home' project, which provides transitional housing for those leaving homelessness.

The 'You're Home' model provides community-led, post-homelessness housing. The scheme provides accommodation at reduced rents to people with low needs, so that tenants can progress with their recovery from homelessness and transition into independent living in longer term, stable housing. The independent evaluation has concluded that You're Home is producing extremely positive experiences for residents, and yielding significant social value - 'the You're Home project demonstrates that innovative housing models can provide a pathway to a secure and stable housing option, whilst generating measurable financial and social value.'

Members of the EBM team addressed the Communities Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly, who held an out-of-assembly meeting at EBM's centre. They answered questions on the social investment model, resident experiences, referral pathways, support provision, community services, and the planned scaled-up of the scheme using an FTC (Financial Transactions Capital) investment from the NI Assembly. There was a consensus that the project model should be paid due attention and replicated elsewhere.

The evaluation can be read and downloaded here:

'You're Home' Evaluation (Nov 25).pdf

Download PDF • 786KB

You’re Home sits within East Belfast Mission’s wider existing services, including its homeless hostel. The project acts as a pathway for tenants to, once ready, move on from the hostel and into good-quality, self-contained independent housing, while freeing up to five spaces in the hostel for those in need. Tenants also benefit from wrap-around support services if required to help with issues such as finding a job or budgeting.

The evaluation ends with and endorsement of current strategic goals of project scaling - allowing for more positive, lasting, move-on from homelessness:

'Beyond its direct impact on tenants, the 'You're Home' pilot has catalysed wider impacts. The project leveraged Commonweal's initial investment to unlock £553,800 in additional funding for East Belfast Mission to develop its community led housing work, informed government discussions around a potential £2 million FTC investment, and aligns strongly with the newly launched £10 million LAMA scheme—a dedicated funding pathway for homelessness organisations. This shows how a well-executed pilot can prove a concept works while opening up new funding opportunities across the sector.

This success reinforces the evaluation's findings: the evidence is strong, the operational approach works, and the financial model is viable. Transitioning from reactive crisis management to proactive prevention requires institutional change to challenge entrenched practices. Future success will demand political commitment, sustained financial investment, and integrated collaboration across statutory, voluntary, and social enterprise sectors. The evaluation establishes that this transformation is now a tangible possibility, particularly when we combine evidence-based practice, patient capital, and genuine partnership commitment from a range of able, well resourced and relevant stakeholders.'

Commonweal is proud to be working alongside EBM and is looking forward to seeing the 'You're Home' model continue to provide safe and secure housing for people after homelessness.