In phase one of the London Housing Foundation’s Impact through Outcomes programme many homelessness organisations benefited from training using an outcomes approach in their work. Many in this sector are now skilled at identifying and measuring their outcomes. Nonetheless, the conference at the end of the programme revealed that many did not have systems in place that allowed them to manage their outcome information effectively.

Many organisations have begun to identify their outcomes and developed measurement tools. Some have taken steps to put systems in place to store and manage outcomes information. However, the struggle to find suitable ways of storing and using the information was proving a real challenge. There is also little shared knowledge around what measurement tools and data management systems are available and how effective these are.

This briefing paper provides an overview of some of the main tools and systems currently available to homelessness organisations wishing to adopt an outcomes approach. It is based on a combination of desk research and interviews with homelessness organisations and some organisations outside the sector involved in outcomes work.