Are you collecting the right data?
Collecting data about your projects isn’t just about gathering as much as possible, it’s about collecting the *right* data.
To maximise the beneficial outcomes of your policies and to make the most effective use of your organisation’s resources you need to have accurate data about the causes and effects of the problems your organisation is seeking to remedy. But what are the data that you should be collecting?
Night shelter use during the Covid-19 pandemic: a case study in data collection
Get the Data collected and analysed data on behalf of the Housing Justice Network for their 2021 report, A New Season for Night Shelters. The report looked at the 2020/21 winter season and the effects that rising demand amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic had on service provision.
Homelessness is an ongoing concern in the UK and there are many factors which contribute to a person becoming homeless. Because people who are homeless have complex and varied support needs there are many dimensions in which collection and analysis of data can be done.
Data were collected about:
- Level of provision (how many spaces were available at shelters, and what factors influenced this).
- Types of provision (the operating models of the different shelters).
- Infection control measures for minimising cases of Covid-19 among service users and staff.
- Profiles of service users (gender, nationality, and support needs).
- And, outcomes for service users after leaving shelters.
By collecting and analysing targeted data the authors of the report were able to make specific policy recommendations to service providers and local authorities that will improve provision and availability of services at a time of rising demand.
Get the Data can help your organisation to identify the data it needs, and help you to use those data to ensure your organisation is using its resources as effectively as possible. Contact us to chat through your requirements and book a free one-hour social impact review.
