It began with a few small projects—data cleaning, pilot surveys, and summer internships. But today, those pieces form part of a much bigger picture: a growing partnership and a movement with a royal seal of approval that is reshaping how we understand and prevent youth homelessness across the UK.
For several years, Professor Pete Mackie and Dr Ian Thomas, leads of the ADR Wales Housing and Homelessness theme, have been working alongside homelessness charity Llamau, to better harness the power of data. What started as a technical exercise has become a story of collaboration, innovation, and impact – one that is now helping to inform national policy and influence the wider homelessness prevention sector.
Preventing homelessness means acting before crisis strikes, so going “upstream” to support those most at risk. That’s exactly what Upstream, a school-based intervention, aims to do. Originally developed in Australia, the approach has been adopted by charities across the UK: Llamau in Wales, Centrepoint in England, Rock Trust in Scotland, and MACS in Northern Ireland.
The programme uses a screening survey completed by pupils, to identify young people who may be at risk of homelessness or family breakdown, allowing schools and charities to offer early support. However, when it comes to re-using the data to conduct research and develop new insights, they can be difficult to analyse.
That’s where ADR Wales stepped in. Working closely with Llamau, Pete and Ian with the help of fresh insight from two summer interns have helped to clean, refine, and make sense of this data, turning it into powerful insights for change.
“We’ve learned that good data isn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet, it’s people’s lives, stories and opportunities for intervention,” says Professor Mackie. “Our role has been to make sure that the incredible work being done by charities like Llamau is supported by the evidence and systems needed to make it sustainable and scalable.”
Over the last two summers, ADR Wales researchers have been joined by Population Data Science Summer Interns Lauren Hill and Samyuktha Babuganesh, who have contributed to projects that continue to enhance the Upstream model. Together with Pete and Ian the interns helped improve how data from Upstream is organised and analysed, enabling clearer insights and more informed decisions.
That ongoing work is now informing a new, national-level system for Upstream, as the programme expands across the UK. ADR Wales is part of a multi-charity working group, alongside Llamau, Centrepoint, and Rock Trust, designing a new data system to ensure consistent service delivery and effective evaluation.
A key innovation under discussion is linking Upstream survey responses with education data that enables researchers to understand long-term outcomes, such as whether pupils who received support go on to further or higher education.
“Data linkage allows us to see what happens beyond the school gates,” explains Mackie. “It helps us understand whether early interventions truly change life trajectories – and that’s the kind of evidence that can drive long-term, systemic change.”
ADR Wales research is already influencing how policymakers and practitioners think about homelessness prevention. This evidence is not only improving the Upstream model but also strengthening the case for more direct, evidence-based engagement in schools and communities.
The partnership between ADR Wales and Llamau has also informed Pete Mackie’s work alongside The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Led by Prince William and Princess Catherine, the Foundation focuses on addressing major social issues including homelessness through research, partnerships, and long-term impact.
The insights and relationships built through the Upstream collaboration have played a key role in shaping this work, highlighting the importance of robust evidence and partnership in achieving real-world change.
“Change doesn’t happen overnight; it’s built through relationships, trust, and persistence,” says Mackie. “The work with Llamau and Upstream is a testament to what’s possible when researchers and charities come together with a shared purpose: to prevent homelessness before it starts.”
Shaping the Future, One Dataset at a Time
With new data systems in development, stronger evidence emerging, and partnerships expanding across the UK, the ADR Wales and Upstream collaboration stands as an inspiring example of what is possible when research and practice meet.
“We talk about ‘data-driven change’, but ultimately it’s about people,” reflects Mackie. “Behind every dataset is a young person whose future we can help shape. That’s why this work matters, because evidence gives us the power to make a real difference.”
This news was originally published on the ADR Wales website.