The research had four main parts:
• A review of existing research on housing-led services response to homelessness,
• A consultation with a group of homelessness service providers in Ireland,
• Interviews with people who are homeless and service providers working with Simon Communities in Cork, Dublin, Dundalk and the North-West,
• A high level consultation briefing event was held with participants across Government and the homelessness sector which discussed the emerging findings of the research.

The aims of the research were as follows:
• Explore the effectiveness of housing-led services as a means of meeting the needs of people who are homeless, including specific consideration of the capacity of housing-led services to house people who are long-term homeless (livingin accommodation based services for more than six months and people characterised by sustained and/or repeated rough sleeping over several months or years)
• Explore the role of housing-led services in meeting the needs of people who are homeless with multiple support
needs, i.e. severe mental illness/mental health problems and problematic use of drugs and/or alcohol.
• Examine access to affordable and adequate housing and the barriers to housing that can exist for people who are homeless, including people who are long-term homeless and those with high support needs.
• Look at the role of choice in enhancing service provision, considering consumer-led or consumer-orientated
approaches including in housing support services, choice of housing tenure and choice of location.
• Look at how services can empower people who are homeless individually and collectively and enable people
into education, training and employment.
• Examine harm minimisation approaches and how they can be employed in effectively tackling homelessness, across all groups of people who are homeless.
• Report on the cost effectiveness of various service options