Homelessness Fellowships

How do people experiencing homelessness spend their time? Understanding their movement patterns, safety concerns, and interactions with public and charity services is crucial for designing better policy for support systems. However, most research of how individuals access support services rely on oral narratives, which can be fragmented due to trauma, memory gaps, or stigma. While studies on homelessness have focused on housing, safeguarding, and healthcare, little attention has been given to real-time movement and space usage and an understanding of how movement encounters barriers with public policy for support. This project is funded by the British Academy Innovation Fellowship in partnership with Sutton Night Homeless Charity (SNW), which uses Geographic Information System (GIS) and GPS tracking to map how individuals experiencing homelessness spend their time in Sutton, London. By uncovering insights on safety assessments, perceptions of comfort and threat, and barriers to accessing services, this research presents groundbreaking data to help charities and policymakers improve support for this vulnerable community.