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Making a home: a qualitative evaluation of Housing Justice Cymru’s Citadel Project
This research report presents qualitative data on individuals' experience of engaging with the Citadel Project as service users and volunteers - the Citadel Project aims to support individuals experiencing homelessness to access sustainable tenancies.
Background
This research was commissioned from Cardiff Metropolitan University by Housing Justice Cymru (HJC). The aim was to investigate the impact of the Citadel project (a project providing support for those currently or recently experiencing homelessness). In particular, HJC wanted to focus on the volunteer-led nature of the project, and the potential particular impacts this type of provision has.
Overview of findings
The Citadel project provides an interconnected set of forms of social support (instrumental, informational, and companionship) for its supportees
Supportees value the companionship element of support significantly, and in particular the way it replicates authentic informal relationships (rather than transactional relationships that deliver pre-defined support)
The nature of the project as volunteer-led enables supportees to increase their feelings of self-worth and acceptance as volunteers choose to spend their own time to provide support
Material support (such as decorating and sourcing furniture) has an impact beyond the immediate, with links to maintaining relationships with others and feelings of control and self-worth
