Guidance

Homelessness and rough sleeping: Systems-wide evaluation phase 3: privacy notice

Published 11 September 2025

Applies to England

This privacy notice explains who we are, the personal data we collect, how we use, store and delete it, the legal basis for using personal data and what your legal rights are in relation to this research. 

This privacy notice applies to research conducted as part of the evaluation between May 2025 and April 2026. 

1. The data controller

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the “data controller”. This means that we at MHCLG are responsible for determining what personal information we collect about you and use, why and how (the ‘purpose and manner’). 

2. Why we are collecting the data

When we ask for your personal information, we promise only to ask for what we need and to make sure you know why we need it. If this includes contact details, we will tell you if we intend to use these details to contact you about anything else, and whether it is possible for you to opt out of this. If you agree to us contacting you about other things, you can withdraw your agreement at any time. 

We have commissioned the Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI) to lead a consortium (a group of organisations) to assess the effectiveness of rough sleeping systems as a whole (known as the systems-wide evaluation). CHI will be acting as a data processor for the evaluation, with IFF and Cordis Bright acting as sub-processors. 

Homelessness and rough sleeping can be viewed as a complex system affected by multiple, interconnected factors, interacting with each other and changing over time. Areas of influence include macro-economic policy, housing health and public attitudes. Whilst there are programmes and interventions in place to support people who are homeless, these can have unintended consequences. For instance, emergency housing may briefly reduce street homelessness but divert resources away from prevention.   

Recognising this complexity, the systems-wide evaluation aims to enhance the evidence base on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping by understanding the impact and wider implications of different standalone programmes that seek to reduce homelessness. The evaluation will consider how these programmes influence, or are influenced, by other factors across the system. Read more about Systems-wide evaluation. 

This privacy notices covers any personal data processed as part of the systems-wide evaluation. 

3. What we plan to collect

Names and contact details will be used to organise interviews and focus groups. Audio recordings will be taken for these interviews, which may contain personal data. Recordings will be transcribed anonymously and then deleted.  

4. Why we are legally allowed to process your data

How we are using your data

The reasons that we can use to collect or use your personal information are set out in law. Most of the time, the lawful basis for us processing your personal information under data protection legislation will be because it is necessary for our work as a public body (the processing is necessary for the performance of a task in the public interest – (Article 6(1)(e) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR))). 

The systems-wide evaluation will mainly use aggregate level data (evidence on expenditure and activity relating to major programmes) with no privacy implications. 

The evaluation will, however, include an online survey of local authorities. A link to the survey will be sent to named contacts in each local authority. The email addresses of these individuals will therefore be shared with the CHI-led consortium organisation who will be administering the survey. The survey itself will not be collecting or processing any personal information. 

Similarly, names and contact details will be used to organise interviews and focus groups. Audio recordings will be taken for these interviews, which may contain personal data. 

5. Sharing your data

Personal data collected during this study will not be shared with any other body outside the members of the CHI-led consortium or MHCLG, the data controller. All data will be anonymised before being shared with CHI or MHCLG. 

6. Keeping your data

We will only keep your personal information as long as we continue to have a lawful basis to do so. This will usually mean that it is still necessary for our work as a public body. This will be decided by our ongoing business need and any laws or government policies that affect how long we keep it. We have a “retention schedule” that sets out how long we will keep personal data: 

• IFF and Cordis Bright will securely keep your personal data for 3 months after the completion of the evaluation. 

You may ask to withdraw from the study by getting in touch with MHCLG using the contact details in section 11 of this privacy notice. 

7. Your rights

The data we are collecting is your personal data, and you have rights that affect what happens to it. Generally, you have the right to: 

(a) know that we are using your personal data; 

(b) see what data we have about you; 

(c) ask to have your data corrected, and to ask how we check the information we hold is accurate; 

(d) ask to have your data deleted where the processing is no longer necessary for the purposes stated in this privacy notice; 

(e) object to the processing of your personal data; and 

(f) complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (see below). 

8. Sending data overseas 

We will not usually send your data overseas. If for some reason we do, such as storing data on computer servers that are not in the UK, we will ensure that all necessary safeguards are in place. 

9. Automated decision making

We will not use your data for any automated decision making. 

10. Storage, security and data management

Your personal data will be stored securely and will be protected to make sure nobody has access to it who shouldn’t. 

You can ask us for details of our instructions to staff on how to collect, use and delete your personal data. 

11. What we ask of you

So that we can keep your personal information reliable and up to date, please: 

• give us accurate information 

• tell us as soon as possible if there are any changes, such as a new address or contact details 

12. Complaints and more information 

When we ask you for information, we will keep to the law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018 and any new legislation coming into force. 

If you are unhappy with the way the department has acted, you can make a complaint. 

If you are not happy with how we are using your personal information, you should first contact dataprotection@communities.gov.uk.

If you are still not happy, or for independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing, you can contact: 

The Information Commissioner’s Office 
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF 

Telephone: 030 3123 1113 

Website: https://ico.org.uk/