Shelter: Outcomes Survey
Background & Context
Shelter commissioned M·E·L Research for a second year to deliver its established Outcomes Survey research programme, providing robust and consistent evidence of the impact of its services on the people it supported.
The research engaged individuals who had contacted Shelter for support, following up with them at least three months after their case had closed in 2025. This allowed the research to explore outcomes after service users had had time to act on, or experience the effects of, the advice and support they had received.
The programme had several important organisational purposes. Survey evidence supported Shelter’s annual public impact reporting and helped the organisation demonstrate accountability to its supporters. It also provided evidence of impact for funding and income-generation activities, while giving Shelter’s internal teams information that could support management and ongoing service development.
An important requirement was maintaining a robust and representative picture of Shelter’s diverse service user population. This meant the research needed to reach people across different types of Shelter support, geographical hubs and demographic groups, rather than relying solely on those most likely to respond independently to an online survey.
Continuity was also important. The research programme was designed to maintain consistency with previous survey waves so that Shelter could monitor outcomes over time and make meaningful year-on-year comparisons.
Approach
M·E·L Research delivered an inclusive mixed-mode quantitative research programme, combining online and telephone surveying. The programme used an established questionnaire and survey infrastructure, with any amendments carefully managed to protect the approximately 15-minute telephone interview length and maintain comparability with previous waves.
The principal elements of the approach were:
Mixed-mode outcomes survey: M·E·L Research worked to achieve approximately 1,500 completed surveys with eligible Shelter service users. Individuals with a recorded email address were initially invited to complete the survey online. Non-responders, together with service users without an email address, were subsequently contacted by M·E·L Research’s specialist telephone interviewing team.
Ongoing sample management: Shelter supplied sample files to M·E·L Research on a fortnightly basis as service users became eligible for the research. Participants were contacted at least three months after their case had closed. This rolling approach supported efficient fieldwork management and allowed M·E·L Research to monitor the composition of the achieved sample throughout data collection.
Representation and quota management: M·E·L Research advised Shelter on the interviewing targets required to ensure that the final survey dataset represented the overall Shelter service user population. Targets were based on the total eligible population, rather than only those who had consented to research contact. Quota controls covered work type, hub and key service user demographic characteristics, helping to ensure that different groups and experiences were appropriately represented.
Questionnaire continuity and development: The established Outcomes Survey questionnaire formed the basis of the programme, supporting consistent measurement and comparison between survey waves. Where refinements were required, these were carefully managed so that they did not unnecessarily increase survey length or compromise trend measurement.
Analysis and Outputs
M·E·L Research processed the survey data and produced interim and final weighted data tables. Weighting ensured that reported findings accurately reflected Shelter’s wider service user population rather than simply the profile of those who completed the survey.
The data outputs also incorporated derived variables, enabling Shelter to examine outcomes across key groups and service user characteristics and supporting more detailed interrogation of the results.
Alongside the data tables, M·E·L Research developed and maintained an online results dashboard using the Forsta Visualisations platform. Survey data were added to the dashboard at agreed intervals throughout the programme, giving Shelter staff ongoing access to the evidence rather than restricting analysis to a single end-of-project output.
The dashboard allowed Shelter teams to view, interrogate and analyse survey findings throughout the contract period. M·E·L Research also provided for continued development of the dashboard’s functionality and user experience, ensuring that the reporting infrastructure could evolve alongside Shelter’s requirements.
Together, the weighted data tables and interactive dashboard provided Shelter with an accessible and robust evidence base for understanding the outcomes experienced by its service users. The outputs supported Shelter’s public impact reporting, accountability to supporters, funding and income-generation activity, internal management and service development.
The programme combined continuity of measurement with an inclusive mixed-mode fieldwork approach, active management of sample representation and accessible ongoing reporting. This enabled Shelter to maintain a consistent evidence base for assessing service-user outcomes while retaining the ability to develop and refine the research programme as its evidence needs evolved.
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