Adele Irving - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Adele Irving
The Positive Pathways (PP) evaluation was undertaken by Northumbria University between February a... more The Positive Pathways (PP) evaluation was undertaken by Northumbria University between February and June 2015. The aim of the research was to evaluate the design and delivery of the programme and the extent to which the short and medium term outcomes of the programme had been achieved, as identified in the programme logic model.
This report outlines the findings of the fourth year of Youth Homeless North East’s (YHNE) annual... more This report outlines the findings of the fourth year of Youth Homeless North East’s (YHNE) annual survey of youth homelessness. The survey aims to establish the nature, extent and causes of youth homelessness in the North East, and to identify how the wider social, political and economic context is impacting on the experiences of young people, as well as the levels and nature of service provision over time. We hope that the findings are used by local authorities, housing associations and homelessness agencies to inform strategic and operational priorities in the North East. The key questions explored through the programme of research include: - How many young people fall victim to homelessness in the North East? - What are the main causes of youth homelessness? - How many young people falling into homelessness have experienced local authority care, rough sleeping and engagement with the criminal justice system? - What homelessness prevention activities are in place across the North ...
Men who sell sex to men are largely invisible in sex work research and policy discourse (Whowell ... more Men who sell sex to men are largely invisible in sex work research and policy discourse (Whowell and Gaffney, 2009; Whowell, 2010). Violence against sex workers is considered to be a gendered act, with men constructed as hyper-masculine pimps, clients or traffickers. Rarely are they considered sex workers or vulnerable to crimes being committed against them (Gaffney, 2007). This chapter draws on case studies and monitoring data from the National Ugly Mugs (NUM) scheme (a national reporting mechanism for crimes committed against sex workers), in order to highlight the range of incidents that male sex workers encounter and the barriers they face to reporting crimes. It argues that positioning sex workers and their performed sexual encounters within a queer conceptual framework is necessary in the context of progressive policy and practice. Exploring the experiences of male sex workers offers a more nuanced understanding of sex workers’ experiences of work-related crimes and sex work, ...
In mid-2011, the Newcastle Inclusion Lab formed, in response to a Cabinet Office call for the for... more In mid-2011, the Newcastle Inclusion Lab formed, in response to a Cabinet Office call for the formation of ten local inclusion labs across the UK, with the purpose of exploring innovative solutions to problems of multiple disadvantages in their areas. In Newcastle-upon-Tyne, issues around Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) – specifically, large hostel-type accommodation operating in the Housing Benefit sub-sector of the private rented market – were identified as key knowledge gaps. An HMO is a building which is occupied by at least three tenants who form more than one household, with residents sharing toilet, bathroom and kitchen facilities. Nationally, too, there is limited understanding of the number of people living in this type of accommodation, the demographics and service needs of residents, the lived experiences of residents and the inequalities associated with living in these properties. Evidence suggests that HMOs are loci of disadvantage, but the extent to which they rei...
Housing Studies, 2021
While housing can facilitate many of the freedoms associated with a ‘well-lived’ life, the Capabi... more While housing can facilitate many of the freedoms associated with a ‘well-lived’ life, the Capabilities Approach (CA) is yet to have transformed housing research and evaluation. This paper explores...
The Evaluation of the People's Kitchen Services report presents the findings from a project t... more The Evaluation of the People's Kitchen Services report presents the findings from a project that critically examined the services delivered by this voluntary organisation (which supports individuals who are disadvantaged). The report includes findings from surveys and interviews undertaken with service-users and interviews with those managing and delivering services, and with representative of partner agencies. The report identifies the impacts and outcomes achieved by People's Kitchen services, key challenges facing the organisation and also includes a set of recommendations to inform future service development and delivery.
The ‘Audit of Faith Group Activities and Community Projects in the London Borough of Sutton Repor... more The ‘Audit of Faith Group Activities and Community Projects in the London Borough of Sutton Report’ presents findings from a survey of faith group organisations and interviews with representatives of those organisations in the London Borough of Sutton. It details the activities delivered, their relevance, information about service-users, the nature and extent of collaborative working and the challenges facing faith groups in the Borough. The report also includes a set of recommendations to support partnership working between individual faith groups – and between faith groups and the public sector.
While traditionally described as the ‘wobbly pillar’ of welfare states, housing has long been con... more While traditionally described as the ‘wobbly pillar’ of welfare states, housing has long been considered the ‘saving grace’ of welfare in the UK. However, decades of neoliberalism and more recently, economic crisis, austerity and welfare reform, have undermined the statutory and voluntary sector support available to those unable to access and sustain decent accommodation for themselves. As such, the modern private rented sector (PRS) is playing an increasing role in meeting the housing needs of single homeless and other vulnerable households. However, there has been relatively little research focusing on the entry of these households into the sector and their experiences within it. In this context, this study provides a purposive and rigorous investigation of the ‘lived experiences’ of individuals residing in private hostels in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Employing an interpretivist and qualitative research approach, data was principally collected through in-depth, semi-structured – and pa...
Newcastle City Council (NCC) and Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) invited Heriot-Watt University and No... more Newcastle City Council (NCC) and Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) invited Heriot-Watt University and Northumbria University to evaluate their work on homelessness prevention, with a view to extracting transferable lessons for other local authorities. The key points which emerged were as follows: The homelessness prevention activities and services delivered by NCC and YHN are, taken as a whole, highly effective. This positive conclusion was supported by both statutory and voluntary sector key informants in the city, and was also consistent with the statistical trend data obtained on statutory homelessness acceptances, homelessness prevention activity, repeat homelessness, social housing evictions, and tenancy sustainment.
Creativity Matters is a five-year project, which was launched by Equal Arts in January 2012 and f... more Creativity Matters is a five-year project, which was launched by Equal Arts in January 2012 and funded by the Big Lottery. Through the project, skilled artists are supported to train volunteers and residential care staff to use creative activity meaningfully to improve the quality of care given to, and quality of life of, older people living with dementia. This report outlines the evaluation findings of the operation of, and impacts arising from, the third year of the project.
The Positive Pathways (PP) evaluation was undertaken by Northumbria University between February a... more The Positive Pathways (PP) evaluation was undertaken by Northumbria University between February and June 2015. The aim of the research was to evaluate the design and delivery of the programme and the extent to which the short and medium term outcomes of the programme had been achieved, as identified in the programme logic model.
This report outlines the findings of the fourth year of Youth Homeless North East’s (YHNE) annual... more This report outlines the findings of the fourth year of Youth Homeless North East’s (YHNE) annual survey of youth homelessness. The survey aims to establish the nature, extent and causes of youth homelessness in the North East, and to identify how the wider social, political and economic context is impacting on the experiences of young people, as well as the levels and nature of service provision over time. We hope that the findings are used by local authorities, housing associations and homelessness agencies to inform strategic and operational priorities in the North East. The key questions explored through the programme of research include: - How many young people fall victim to homelessness in the North East? - What are the main causes of youth homelessness? - How many young people falling into homelessness have experienced local authority care, rough sleeping and engagement with the criminal justice system? - What homelessness prevention activities are in place across the North ...
Men who sell sex to men are largely invisible in sex work research and policy discourse (Whowell ... more Men who sell sex to men are largely invisible in sex work research and policy discourse (Whowell and Gaffney, 2009; Whowell, 2010). Violence against sex workers is considered to be a gendered act, with men constructed as hyper-masculine pimps, clients or traffickers. Rarely are they considered sex workers or vulnerable to crimes being committed against them (Gaffney, 2007). This chapter draws on case studies and monitoring data from the National Ugly Mugs (NUM) scheme (a national reporting mechanism for crimes committed against sex workers), in order to highlight the range of incidents that male sex workers encounter and the barriers they face to reporting crimes. It argues that positioning sex workers and their performed sexual encounters within a queer conceptual framework is necessary in the context of progressive policy and practice. Exploring the experiences of male sex workers offers a more nuanced understanding of sex workers’ experiences of work-related crimes and sex work, ...
In mid-2011, the Newcastle Inclusion Lab formed, in response to a Cabinet Office call for the for... more In mid-2011, the Newcastle Inclusion Lab formed, in response to a Cabinet Office call for the formation of ten local inclusion labs across the UK, with the purpose of exploring innovative solutions to problems of multiple disadvantages in their areas. In Newcastle-upon-Tyne, issues around Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) – specifically, large hostel-type accommodation operating in the Housing Benefit sub-sector of the private rented market – were identified as key knowledge gaps. An HMO is a building which is occupied by at least three tenants who form more than one household, with residents sharing toilet, bathroom and kitchen facilities. Nationally, too, there is limited understanding of the number of people living in this type of accommodation, the demographics and service needs of residents, the lived experiences of residents and the inequalities associated with living in these properties. Evidence suggests that HMOs are loci of disadvantage, but the extent to which they rei...
Housing Studies, 2021
While housing can facilitate many of the freedoms associated with a ‘well-lived’ life, the Capabi... more While housing can facilitate many of the freedoms associated with a ‘well-lived’ life, the Capabilities Approach (CA) is yet to have transformed housing research and evaluation. This paper explores...
The Evaluation of the People's Kitchen Services report presents the findings from a project t... more The Evaluation of the People's Kitchen Services report presents the findings from a project that critically examined the services delivered by this voluntary organisation (which supports individuals who are disadvantaged). The report includes findings from surveys and interviews undertaken with service-users and interviews with those managing and delivering services, and with representative of partner agencies. The report identifies the impacts and outcomes achieved by People's Kitchen services, key challenges facing the organisation and also includes a set of recommendations to inform future service development and delivery.
The ‘Audit of Faith Group Activities and Community Projects in the London Borough of Sutton Repor... more The ‘Audit of Faith Group Activities and Community Projects in the London Borough of Sutton Report’ presents findings from a survey of faith group organisations and interviews with representatives of those organisations in the London Borough of Sutton. It details the activities delivered, their relevance, information about service-users, the nature and extent of collaborative working and the challenges facing faith groups in the Borough. The report also includes a set of recommendations to support partnership working between individual faith groups – and between faith groups and the public sector.
While traditionally described as the ‘wobbly pillar’ of welfare states, housing has long been con... more While traditionally described as the ‘wobbly pillar’ of welfare states, housing has long been considered the ‘saving grace’ of welfare in the UK. However, decades of neoliberalism and more recently, economic crisis, austerity and welfare reform, have undermined the statutory and voluntary sector support available to those unable to access and sustain decent accommodation for themselves. As such, the modern private rented sector (PRS) is playing an increasing role in meeting the housing needs of single homeless and other vulnerable households. However, there has been relatively little research focusing on the entry of these households into the sector and their experiences within it. In this context, this study provides a purposive and rigorous investigation of the ‘lived experiences’ of individuals residing in private hostels in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Employing an interpretivist and qualitative research approach, data was principally collected through in-depth, semi-structured – and pa...
Newcastle City Council (NCC) and Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) invited Heriot-Watt University and No... more Newcastle City Council (NCC) and Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) invited Heriot-Watt University and Northumbria University to evaluate their work on homelessness prevention, with a view to extracting transferable lessons for other local authorities. The key points which emerged were as follows: The homelessness prevention activities and services delivered by NCC and YHN are, taken as a whole, highly effective. This positive conclusion was supported by both statutory and voluntary sector key informants in the city, and was also consistent with the statistical trend data obtained on statutory homelessness acceptances, homelessness prevention activity, repeat homelessness, social housing evictions, and tenancy sustainment.
Creativity Matters is a five-year project, which was launched by Equal Arts in January 2012 and f... more Creativity Matters is a five-year project, which was launched by Equal Arts in January 2012 and funded by the Big Lottery. Through the project, skilled artists are supported to train volunteers and residential care staff to use creative activity meaningfully to improve the quality of care given to, and quality of life of, older people living with dementia. This report outlines the evaluation findings of the operation of, and impacts arising from, the third year of the project.