King's College London

A project led by researchers at the Policy Institute and the National Addiction Centre at King's College London has been awarded over £176,000 by UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) Evaluation Development Fund.

The funding will support the assessment of Safer Services, a harm reduction initiative created by the homelessness organisation Simon Community Scotland (SCS), and be used to help pilot future research approaches. It is one of two projects awarded funding from UKRI’s Evaluation Development Fund, with King’s the only university to receive multiple grants, both of them involving the Policy Institute.

SCS developed Safer Services in order to reduce drug-related harms and deaths in their services and to "promote safety and wellness over any requirement to stop or not use drugs in the services". The model includes harm reduction interventions, such as injection equipment provision (IEP), naloxone supply, wound care management and blood borne virus (BBV) testing; and digital access and support.

As there is limited evidence to date on harm reduction policies in UK homelessness services, evaluating the impact of SCS's harm reduction approach could make a significant contribution to understanding how to tackle drug-related deaths and health inequalities in Scotland and across the UK.

SCS have reported seeing early indicators of the benefits of the Safer Services approach in women’s services. There are also indicators showing that drug overdose deaths within their residential services have decreased.

Hannah Piggott, Research Fellow at the Policy Institute, said:

"Understanding what works to support people experiencing homelessness who use substances is crucial for the homelessness sector. We’re excited to be funded by the UKRI to carry out this evaluation considering harm reduction approaches in homelessness services in Scotland."

Dr Polly Radcliffe, Senior Research Fellow at the National Addiction Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, said:

"This evaluation has the potential to make an important contribution to addressing the public health emergency of drug related deaths in Scotland and the UK, amongst people who use drugs and who are homeless."