A formal evaluation of SHP’s Camden Housing First service has found it to be effective in ending chronic homelessness by achieving housing stability among a group of people with experiences of recurrent homelessness, severe mental illness, poor physical health and problematic use of drugs and alcohol.

SHP’s service, funded by Camden Council was the first of its kind in London. Housing First is based on the concept that a homeless individual's first and primary need is to obtain stable housing, and that other issues that may affect them can and should be addressed once housing is obtained. There is no requirement to demonstrate ‘housing readiness’ or to be abstinent from alcohol or other substances.

Conducted by York University, the evaluation determined that Housing First clients had been able to sustain their own tenancy for at least 12 months or longer despite never having lived independently before or not for several years.