Outcomes Star and the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund
How Outcomes Star can support your bid to the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund
This guide sets out how Outcomes Star can support your bid to the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund – if you need any support from us with your bid, you can find our contact details at the end of this article.
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- Are you a voluntary, community, and faith sector (VCFS) organisation in England?
- Have you been delivering support for at least 3 years to individuals at risk of, or currently experiencing, homelessness and rough sleeping?
- Do you have a maximum annual income of £5 million?
If so, a new pot of £37m in funding from the UK Government’s Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government (MHCLG) is open for applications.
Check out the prospectus and apply by midday Monday 31 March 2026:
Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund – prospectus – GOV.UK
If you are applying here’s how Outcomes Star can support your bid, including examples of Stars you can use and example text for your bid.
Why using Outcomes Star can support your bid
Use of Outcomes Star meets key assessment criteria
The EHCF prospectus says that “Outcomes and measuring impact” is a scored assessment criterion (10% weighting). Bids must show how projects will deliver measurable positive impact.
Outcomes Stars – including Home Star and Tenancy Star – are validated, person-centred tools widely used in housing and homelessness services. They enable organisations to:
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- Track changes in wellbeing and progress in areas linked to homelessness, such as accommodation, life skills, wellbeing and social connections;
- Measure progress consistently over time using a clear framework;
- Evidence real, person-level outcomes rather than just outputs such as numbers supported.
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This directly supports the EHCF’s focus on impact and measurable outcomes.
Strengthens partnership working
EHCF bids are expected to demonstrate strong partnership working and contribution to local systems.
Outcomes Star supports multi-agency working by providing a shared, easy-to-understand way of assessing where people are and the barriers they face. Semi-standardised data allows partners to understand patterns across groups, while still capturing individual experience. This helps services work together more effectively and respond to local need.
Supports person-centred and trauma-informed delivery
The EHCF prospectus highlights the importance of person-centred approaches that support sustained recovery and independent living.
Outcomes Star is completed collaboratively with the individual, focusing on what matters to them and the changes they want to achieve. This supports tailored, trauma-informed support for people who have experienced long-term rough sleeping or multiple disadvantage.
Enhances monitoring, evaluation and reporting
Funded organisations must agree to a formal monitoring and evaluation approach, including regular reporting against KPIs.
The Home Star and Tenancy Star provide structured outcomes data that can be used for:
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- Monitoring progress over time;
- Aggregated reporting and trend analysis;
- Quarterly, annual and narrative reports.
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This strengthens confidence in delivery and supports the Deliverability, Risk, and Value for Money sections of the bid.
Improves value for money and sustainability
Using Outcomes Star helps organisations to:
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- Demonstrate how support is effective and proportionate;
- Show distance-travelled towards longer-term outcomes that reduce repeat homelessness;
- Evidence that funding leads to sustained, meaningful change.
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This directly supports the EHCF assessment of value for money and longer-term impact.
Which Outcomes Star is right for you?
Outcomes Star offers different validated tools tailored to distinct service contexts within homelessness and housing. For organisations applying to the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund, the two most relevant tools are Home Star and Tenancy Star.
If you are working with young people, you might want to check out Young Persons Star.
Selecting the right Star ensures that outcome measurement aligns closely with your service model, client group, and intended impact.
Home Star
Designed for:
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- Day services
- Outreach and prevention services
- Short-term or floating support
- Services supporting people experiencing or at risk of homelessness
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Home Star is designed to support people to move towards greater stability, independence, and connection to their community. It is particularly well suited to services working with individuals who may not yet have secure accommodation or who are being more broadly supported with other areas alongside housing.
Outcome areas
Home Star measures progress across the following areas:
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- Where I’m living – which includes managing tenancy and accommodation
- Caring for myself and my space – which includes shopping, cooking and keeping the home safe
- My money – which includes having enough for basics and managing money
- Friends and relationships – which includes family, friends, partners and other close relationships
- My health – which includes seeing medical professionals, healthy food, exercise and sleep
- How I feel – which includes emotional wellbeing and dealing with strong emotions
- How I spend my time – which includes activities, learning work or volunteering
- Alcohol and drugs – which covers not using alcohol or drugs in ways that are harmful
- Safety and crime – which may include offending or being a victim of crime
- Trust and hope – which includes having a sense of trust and hope for the future, self-confidence
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These domains reflect the multiple and interconnected challenges often associated with homelessness and allow services to evidence holistic change, not just housing outcomes.
The Journey of Change (Home Star)
Home Star uses a five-stage Journey of Change:
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- Stuck – The person may not recognise problems or feel able to address them.
- Accepting Help – Beginning to acknowledge issues and engage with support.
- Believing – Developing motivation and confidence that change is possible.
- Learning – Building skills, trying new behaviours, and making progress.
- Self-Reliance – Sustaining change independently and maintaining stability.
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This model aligns strongly with trauma-informed and strengths-based practice, emphasising progression rather than crisis-driven intervention.
Tenancy Star
Designed for:
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- Supported housing providers
- Housing associations
- Housing-led homelessness services
- Resettlement and tenancy sustainment services
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Tenancy Star is specifically focused on helping people to secure, manage, and sustain their tenancy successfully. It is particularly suitable where housing stability is the core intended outcome.
Outcome areas
Tenancy Star measures progress across:
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- Housing – which includes having a suitable place to live, rights and responsibilities as a tenant
- Money and rent – which includes paying rent, benefits, budgeting, savings debts and arrears
- Looking after your home – which includes keeping the home in good condition, reporting any repair issues
- Health and well-being – which includes physical, mental and emotional health, getting medical treatment
- Positive use of time – which includes work, training, volunteering, education and meaningful activities
- Community and contribution – which includes feeling connected, friends, social life and belonging
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These outcome areas focus directly on the practical elements required for long-term tenancy sustainment, while also recognising the personal wellbeing factors that underpin housing stability.
The Journey of Change (Tenancy Star)
Tenancy Star also uses a five-stage Journey of Change, adapted to housing sustainment:
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- Not Engaging – Struggling or at risk, limited engagement with support.
- Accepting Help – Acknowledging issues and beginning to work with services.
- Believing – Increased motivation and commitment to sustain tenancy.
- Learning & Taking Responsibility – Developing practical skills and consistent behaviours.
- Self-Reliance – Independently managing tenancy and maintaining stability.
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Choosing the right Star
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- Choose Home Star if your service supports people at risk of homelessness, experiencing rough sleeping, or accessing day services where outcomes are broad and holistic.
- Choose Tenancy Star if your primary goal is tenancy sustainment within supported or independent housing.
Some partnerships use both tools across different pathways, creating a coherent outcomes framework from crisis support through to long-term tenancy sustainment.
Selecting the right Outcomes Star strengthens your bid by demonstrating that your outcomes framework is not generic, but tailored to the specific needs of your client group and delivery model.
Examples of how you can include Outcomes Star in your bid
Below are some illustrative examples of text you could include in your bid. If you would like us to work with you to develop service-specific information about Outcomes Stars for your bid, get in touch.
Text for the Outcomes and Measuring Impact section
Our project will use Home Star as its core outcomes and impact measurement framework. Outcomes Star is a validated, person-centred tool widely used across homelessness, housing and multiple-needs services to measure meaningful change over time.
Outcomes Star will enable us to evidence progress against the EHCF’s core objectives of preventing homelessness, supporting sustained recovery, and enabling people to live independently. The Star captures change across key domains directly relevant to homelessness, including accommodation stability, health and wellbeing, life skills, managing money, and social networks.
Each participant will complete an Outcomes Star collaboratively with a trained practitioner at entry, review points, and exit. This ensures that outcomes data is both robust and grounded in people’s lived experience, aligning with the fund’s emphasis on person-centred and trauma-informed approaches.
Text for the Demonstrating Impact and Learning section
Outcomes Star provides both individual-level and service-level data, enabling us to:
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- Track progress for each participant over time;
- Aggregate outcomes to demonstrate overall impact of the programme;
- Identify which interventions are most effective for different groups;
- Adapt delivery in response to emerging trends and learning.
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We will use Star data alongside quantitative outputs (e.g. numbers supported, housing sustainment) and qualitative case studies to provide a rounded picture of impact. This approach ensures we move beyond outputs to demonstrate real, sustained change in people’s lives.
Text for the Partnership Working and System Impact section
The project will use Outcomes Star as a shared outcomes framework across delivery partners. This common language for progress and change supports integrated working, reduces duplication, and strengthens coordination between homelessness prevention, day services, and specialist support.
Where appropriate, anonymised and aggregated Outcomes Star data will be shared with partners and local stakeholders to inform service planning and contribute to improved local system responsiveness—supporting the EHCF objective of strengthening community-based homelessness responses.
Text for the Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting section
Outcomes Star will underpin our monitoring and evaluation approach and directly support EHCF reporting requirements. The tool provides structured, auditable evidence suitable for:
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- Quarterly and annual grant reporting;
- Demonstrating progress against agreed KPIs;
- Supporting external evaluation if required.
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This ensures transparency, accountability, and confidence in delivery, while minimising administrative burden and allowing staff to focus on high-quality support.
For the Value for Money and Sustainability section
By evidencing sustained improvements in independence, stability and wellbeing, Outcomes Star enables us to demonstrate value for money and the longer-term benefits of early and effective intervention. The learning generated will inform service improvement beyond the life of the grant, supporting sustainability and continuous improvement.
For the Methodology section
Outcomes Star will be embedded as a core delivery and evaluation tool, ensuring a consistent, person-centred approach to measuring impact across the lifetime of the project.
What are the costs for Outcomes Star? (to include in a bid)
To use Outcomes Star, organisations need:
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- An account – £255 plus VAT per year
- Licences for each practitioner who will use the Star with people being supported – £41 per person per year
- Training for those practitioners – one-off costs for an online course range £245 per person plus VAT to £1630 plus VAT for up to 16 people (and can also be delivered face to face.)
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Your account and licences include access to Outcomes Star Online, our secure and easy to use application for completing the Star and creating reports.
Training ensures consistency, reliability of data, and trauma-informed use – all of which are important for funder confidence. If you have large numbers of practitioners to train, our Licensed Trainer model might be more cost effective.
To get an accurate cost, first work out which of your employees or volunteers will use the Star, and then get in touch with us – we’ll be happy to help.
Want to find out more?
If you have any more questions about the funding, eligibility and how to apply please visit Homeless Link
For help with:
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- Choosing the right Star version
- Tailoring information about Outcomes Star for your funding bid
- Accurate costs for using Outcomes Star
Contact us on [email protected] and we’ll be happy to discuss your needs and answer any questions you have.