Brent Homeless User Group (B.HUG) and the West London Partnership – Mystery Shopping project

Jointly commissioned as a sub regional initiative by seven west London boroughs (Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hounslow, Hillingdon and Kensington and Chelsea) the project involved five former homeless ‘mystery shoppers’ putting each of the boroughs’ homeless services to the test across a range of housing scenarios. Using mystery shopping techniques allowed the project to identify weaknesses and best practice across all of the providers.

The resultant report’s findings and recommendations highlighted a number of areas where boroughs could improve their services to homeless people; from simple physical changes to housing receptions to more detailed analysis of training needs to deliver consistent and effective services across the sub region.