A key objective of the project was to compare and contrast the priorities and agendas of multiply excluded homeless people (MEHP) with those of a diverse range of agencies which support, or routinely come into contact with MEHP, in order to better understand the causes and potential solutions to multiple exclusion homelessness. Several strategies to ensure user participation were built into the project. Specifically, two teams (four people in Nottingham and six in London), of former homeless people who had previously made use of services provided by Framework and Thames Reach (two housing associations that provide a wide range of accommodation and support services for homeless people), were recruited and trained to work as co-researchers on the project. Purposive, non random sampling was used to identify suitable fieldwork participants. Semi structured interviews were conducted in the city of Nottingham (55) and the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham (53) with a total of 108 single multiply excluded homeless people (74 men, 34 women). Homeless participants were recruited from a range of organisations. They included people who used, (or who had recently used), an assortment of services provided by Framework and Thames Reach and also users of various services offered by a number of other statutory and voluntary agencies. Additionally, semi structured interviews with 44 key informants (24 Nottingham, 20 London) from 40 statutory and voluntary sector agencies which routinely come into contact with MEHP, were conducted. This study explores how far multiple exclusion homelessness might be explained by inconsistencies between the priorities of homeless people and those of supporting agencies. It aims to: 1) explore the relationship between homelessness and other factors in generating 'deep' social exclusion. 2) investigate the priorities and aspirations of multiply excluded homeless people in addressing the problems they face. 3) compare and contrast the priorities of multiply excluded homeless people with those of agencies that provide support services to multiply excluded homeless people. 4) examine the role of these potentially incompatible priorities in explaining multiple exclusion homelessness. 5) explore the ways in which place and gender may mediate these incompatible priorities. 6) validate the accounts of homeless people and their priorities by fully involving a team of formerly homeless volunteers in the design, conduct and outputs of this study. 7) disseminate findings among support agencies and policy makers so that policy and practice accords more closely with the priorities of multiply excluded homeless people. The project will be underpinned by an a user participatory methodology that utilises qualitative techniques (focus groups and semi-structured interviews) with 20 support agencies and 100 multiply excluded homeless people in Nottingham and London.

Purposive, non random sampling was used to identify suitable fieldwork participants. Semi structured interviews were conducted in the city of Nottingham (55) and the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham (53) with a total of 108 single multiply excluded homeless people (74 men, 34 women). Homeless participants were recruited from a range of organisations. They included people who used, (or who had recently used), an assortment of services provided by Framework and Thames Reach and also users of various services offered by a number of other statutory and voluntary agencies. Additionally, semi structured interviews with 44 key informants (24 Nottingham, 20 London) from 40 statutory and voluntary sector agencies which routinely come into contact with MEHP, were conducted. This was a cross-sectional one-time study.