Beyond bricks and mortar: Why evaluating social prescribing services in housing matters

The promise of social prescribing in housing

Imagine a resident struggling with loneliness after the loss of a partner. Instead of solely focusing on their housing needs, a social prescribing link worker within the housing association could connect them with a local bereavement support group or a community gardening project. This holistic approach can address the root causes of poor health and wellbeing, leading to:

• Improved resident wellbeing: tackling social isolation, anxiety, and low mood can significantly enhance quality of life.
• Reduced pressure on healthcare services: by addressing non-medical needs, social prescribing can alleviate demand on GPs and hospitals.
• Stronger communities: connecting residents to local activities and support networks fosters a sense of belonging and community cohesion.
• More sustainable tenancies: improved wellbeing can contribute to greater housing stability and reduced tenancy issues.

Crucially, the social prescribing link worker role helps solidify housing associations’ integral position as ‘anchor institutions’. This is in direct alignment with the vision promoted by The Health Foundation, which advocates for rooted organisations to actively leverage their resources to create broader community benefits and improve population health.

Why evaluating is non-negotiable

While the potential benefits are clear, we can’t assume success. Without rigorous evaluation, we risk investing resources in services that are ineffective or even unintentionally harmful. Here’s why evaluating social prescribing in housing associations is crucial:

Measuring impact: evaluation allows us to determine if the social prescribing interventions are achieving their intended outcomes. Are residents reporting improved wellbeing? Are referrals to healthcare services decreasing?

Identifying what works (and what doesn’t): different approaches to social prescribing will have varying levels of success. Evaluation helps us understand which models, partnerships, and referral pathways are most effective for specific resident groups and contexts.

Ensuring value for money: housing associations operate with finite resources. Evaluation provides evidence to justify the investment in social prescribing and demonstrate its return on investment in terms of improved resident outcomes and potentially reduced costs elsewhere.

Driving continuous improvement: evaluation provides valuable insights that can be used to refine and adapt social prescribing services over time, ensuring they remain relevant and effective.

Demonstrating accountability: in this increasingly data-driven world, evaluation provides tangible evidence of the positive impact housing associations have on the lives of their residents, building trust with stakeholders and funders.

Key considerations for evaluating

Evaluating social prescribing in a housing context requires a thoughtful and multi-faceted approach. This might include:

• Defining clear outcomes: what specific changes are we hoping to see in residents’ lives? These should be measurable and relevant to the interventions being offered.
• Utilising mixed methods: combining quantitative data (e.g., wellbeing scores, service usage) with qualitative data (e.g., resident interviews, focus groups) provides a richer understanding of the impact.
• Considering the resident voice: actively involving residents in the evaluation process ensures their experiences and perspectives are central to the findings.
• Establishing robust data collection systems: implementing systems to track referrals, engagement, and outcomes is essential for meaningful analysis.
• Fostering collaboration: sharing learning and best practices across different housing associations and with healthcare partners can strengthen the overall effectiveness of social prescribing.

Moving forward

Social prescribing holds immense potential to transform the lives of housing association residents and contribute to healthier, more connected communities.

However, this potential can only be realised through a commitment to robust evaluation. At Creative Bridge, we strongly emphasise both evidence-based and practice-based evidence, supported by our psychology and research experts.

Drawing on our team’s extensive expertise in housing, health, and research, we’re partnering with social prescribing teams to support them through this crucial process.

We will design a robust and tailored evaluation framework to measure the effectiveness of an organisation’s social prescribing service in enhancing participants’ mental wellbeing and life satisfaction and supporting wider organisational objectives/goals around quality of life and value.

By systematically measuring impact, learning from our experiences, and continuously improving our approaches together, we can ensure that social prescribing truly delivers on its promise and becomes an integral and valued part of the support offered by housing associations.

Let’s make evaluation a priority and unlock the full potential of social prescribing for the benefit of our residents and communities.

Interested in finding out more? Contact Sarah for an informal chat.