Cost and Social Value Analysis - Volunteer

Support a youth homelessness prevention pilot by developing a light‑touch cost‑benefit analysis. Help translate early family support and mediation into a clear economic case showing avoided crisis costs, to inform funding and commissioning decisions at a critical moment.

This work will help our organisation clearly demonstrate the value of early intervention and prevention at a time when systems are under growing pressure to respond to crisis.

Firststop works with young people and families before situations escalates into homelessness. Much of its impact happens through early conversations, guidance and family support that slow down or prevent crisis decisions. While this work is effective, it is not always visible in traditional housing or performance data, which tends to focus on emergency placements and reactive responses.

The volunteer’s work will help us translate this early prevention activity into a clear economic case that commissioners, funders and partners can understand and use. By comparing the cost of delivering Firststop with the much higher costs of emergency accommodation, repeat housing presentations and multi‑agency crisis involvement, we can show how even small amounts of prevention can generate significant value.

This will support the organisation in several key ways.

First, it will strengthen our ability to make informed decisions about continuing and developing the Firststop pilot
. Having a clear cost‑benefit picture will help us understand where the service is already adding value and where it could have the greatest impact going forward.

Second, it will support funding and commissioning conversations
. Decision‑makers are increasingly required to show value for money. A clear, proportionate cost‑benefit summary will help ensure early intervention is assessed fairly, rather than being overlooked in favour of crisis‑led activity that is easier to count but far more expensive.

Third, it will help protect prevention work from being judged against the wrong measures. Without an economic narrative, early support can appear less impactful than emergency responses, even when it is preventing harm and reducing demand elsewhere in the system.

Fourth, it will support a longer‑term shift toward prevention
. By clearly showing that early family support is not only better for young people but also better value for the system, the organisation can help influence partners and commissioners to invest earlier rather than relying on costly crisis responses.

Finally, this work builds organisational confidence. It helps ensure that the relational, preventative work staff are already doing is recognised, understood and supported, rather than being squeezed out by short‑term crisis pressures.

Overall, this analysis will help the organisation move from “knowing prevention works” to being able to clearly show why it matters and why it makes sense to invest in it
.

We are looking for a volunteer with strong analytical thinking and a practical, real‑world approach
, rather than someone seeking to build a complex or academic model.

The ideal volunteer will have experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Cost‑benefit analysis, evaluation or impact assessment
• Public sector, local authority or commissioning environments
• Consultancy, policy, research or service improvement roles
• Economics, social research, public health, housing or related fields

They should be comfortable working with imperfect or incomplete data
, and able to make sensible assumptions that can be clearly explained. Experience of pilots, early‑stage services or prevention work would be particularly helpful.

We are looking for someone who can:

• Take complex ideas and explain them simply
• Balance numbers with narrative, recognising that not everything of value can be easily monetised
• Focus on what is “good enough” for decision‑making, rather than seeking unnecessary precision
• Ask thoughtful questions and work collaboratively with staff

An understanding of homelessness, housing systems, family support or youth services would be useful, but is not essential
. We value transferable skills and curiosity…