Paul Morrish
Chief Executive
Can technology help prevent youth homelessness? Yes, but only when data, innovation and collaboration come together.
Everyone is talking about AI and technology, including their potential to help solve some of society’s biggest challenges. Homelessness is one area where these advancements could transform how we tackle the issue.
Technology with purpose
If we’re serious about preventing homelessness, collaboration matters as much as algorithms. Recent discussions around the Homelessness Data Lab at London Tech Week highlighted that potential. The partnership between Homewards, LandAid and Salesforce is exploring how data and technology could help identify people at risk of homelessness earlier and improve the support available to them. It’s a powerful example of organisations bringing together different expertise around a shared challenge.
Technology can help us become more predictive and therefore, preventative.
By identifying patterns and recognising warning signs earlier,
we have a better chance of supporting people before they reach crisis point.
Great places are about more than buildings and infrastructure. They’re communities where people can put down roots, build relationships and thrive
That can only happen if data is used responsibly. Protecting privacy, earning public trust and ensuring information is used ethically must always come first. Used well, data can help organisations and services to make better decisions, target support more effectively and intervene earlier.
Turning knowledge into action through collaboration
As our industry helps shape the UK’s future, we have an opportunity to think more broadly about the places we create. Great places are about more than buildings and infrastructure. They’re communities where people can put down roots, build relationships and thrive. That means recognising that homelessness is not someone else’s problem, but a challenge we all have a role in addressing.
At LandAid, we’ve seen firsthand the power of partnership. No organisation, sector or technology platform can solve homelessness alone. The property industry has a unique opportunity — and, I would argue, a responsibility — to use its expertise, influence and networks for social good.
Building a better future means creating places where everyone has the opportunity and support to thrive. If technology helps us identify risk earlier, and collaboration helps us act on those insights, we have a real opportunity to prevent homelessness rather than simply respond to it.
