Abstract
Background: In the Australian state of New South Wales nearly 60,000 approved applicants are waiting for social housing. Future Directions for Social Housing is a response to this challenge. This collection of housing programs aims to provide more social housing, support and incentives for leaving social housing and a better social housing experience. This document presents the protocol of the evaluation of these programs and the overarching Future Directions Strategy.
 Methods/Design: The evaluation will use a Type 1 effectiveness-implementation hybrid design, with an integrated, dual focus on assessing the effectiveness of Future Directions and better understanding the context for reform implementation. Program effectiveness will be examined using quasi-experimental techniques applied to linked administrative data. The implementation context will be examined via program level data, qualitative interviews and focus groups with stakeholders and tenants. Some quantitative survey and administrative data will also be used. Findings from the implementation evaluation will be used to inform and interpret the effectiveness evaluation. Economic evaluations will also be conducted.
 Discussion: This methodology will produce a high-quality evaluation of a large, complex government program which aims to facilitate rapid translational gains, real-time adoption of effective implementation strategies and generate actionable insights for policymakers.
Highlights
Introduction of Future DirectionsTo respond to these challenges, in 2016 the NSW Government announced a new 10-year vision for social housing — Future Directions for Social Housing in NSW (Future Directions)
The social housing system is challenged by limited growth in rental income, constrained government funding, ageing assets and rising operating costs
While NSW, like other states, has a large asset base of dwellings, the majority of annual funding for social housing comes from the Federal Government, which provides housing assistance in the form of Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA)
Summary
To respond to these challenges, in 2016 the NSW Government announced a new 10-year vision for social housing — Future Directions for Social Housing in NSW (Future Directions) This aims to transform the sector by providing: (1) more social housing; (2) more opportunities, support and incentives to avoid and/or leave social housing; and (3) a better social housing experience. Future Directions aims to transform the NSW social housing system through the introduction of three new programs and six Service Improvement Initiatives (SIIs). This protocol documents the proposed design and methods to evaluate the overarching Future Directions Strategy and the three new programs. While NSW, like other states, has a large asset base of dwellings, the majority of annual funding for social housing comes from the Federal Government, which provides housing assistance in the form of Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) (currently provided to 420,000 NSW households)
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