An independent two-year evaluation has highlighted the significant impact of a specialist psychotherapy service in helping homeless individuals with complex needs rebuild their lives and access stable accommodation across London. The report, focusing on Providence Row's award-winning 'A Place Within' outreach service, comes as rough sleeping in the capital reaches unprecedented levels, with data showing a 63% increase over the last decade.
Restoring Hope Through Trauma-Informed Therapy
The evaluation demonstrates that by restoring hope and rebuilding the ability to trust, the service enables individuals facing multiple disadvantages to engage meaningfully with wider support systems. Since its launch in 2018, 'A Place Within' has delivered therapy directly to people where they are, whether currently on the streets or living in temporary accommodation across five London boroughs: City of London, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge.
A Scalable Blueprint for Complex Needs
The report identifies the service as a scalable blueprint for tackling entrenched homelessness by working alongside statutory and commissioned services. Offering 24 sessions with a flexible, trauma-informed approach, the model represents a high-contribution component in a more systemic approach to homelessness support, currently delivering over 400 therapy sessions per quarter.
Nigel Williams, Interim CEO of Providence Row, emphasised the importance of early intervention: "This evaluation confirms that addressing trauma early in the journey to stability leads to great outcomes, including settled accommodation and health service engagement for entrenched rough sleepers. We have built the expertise to identify the triggers involved and maintain progress for those most in need."
Expansion Opportunities Identified
The evaluation outlines several key areas where additional funding and complementary commissioning could expand the service's reach and impact:
- Expanding Women's Specialism: Addressing distinct barriers faced by women, including those caught in the criminal justice system, engaged in survival sex, experiencing repeated pregnancies and child removals, or avoiding male-dominated services.
- Criminal Justice Expertise: Developing "upstream" in-reach support for individuals leaving prison to prevent immediate rough sleeping and re-offending.
- Holistic Substance Misuse Support: Engaging individuals whose progress has stalled, using psychotherapeutic intervention to process complex trauma, identify substance use drivers, and prevent drug and alcohol-related deaths.
- Supporting Hostel Pathways: Reducing evictions and move-on blockages through targeted work, including specialist support for residents with suspected alcohol-related brain damage.
Partnership and Collaboration
The launch event, supported by the Eastern City Business Improvement District which announced a two-year partnership with Providence Row last year, brought together local authority commissioners, health leads and fundraising partners. Kate Hart, CEO of the Eastern City BID, commented: "We are delighted to be working with Providence Row, a charity which makes a tangible difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness. It's not just about funding – it's about long-term support, collaboration and creating meaningful impact in our local area."
Client Voices Highlight Transformation
The findings are underscored by powerful testimonies from those the service has reached. One client, who had spent decades on the street, shared: "I've been on the streets on and off over the years… nearly 40 years since I came to London. Now I'm in my own place and I feel stable and safe. I've come a long way."
For over 165 years, Providence Row has stood at the frontline of East London and the City's homelessness crisis, providing warmth, dignity, and hope to individuals with nowhere else to turn. The charity works with some of the most vulnerable and marginalised people in society, many of whom are unable to access support elsewhere, maintaining a commitment to never turning anyone away.
