{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T22:04:07Z","timestamp":1780351447974,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"CSIRO Publishing","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,8]],"date-time":"2026-05-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778198400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The increasing demand for homelessness services in Australia highlights the need for robust evaluation methodologies to assess their social impact. Traditional economic evaluation methods often struggle to capture the intangible social and health outcomes associated with homelessness. Social return on investment (SROI), an outcomes-based framework driven by stakeholders, offers a flexible and comprehensive approach to measuring social, economic and environmental impacts. This scoping review examines the application of SROI in evaluating services that support the health of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Australia. A total of 25 reports from grey literature (2010\u20132023) were reviewed. The findings reveal significant variability in the application of SROI, including inconsistencies in stakeholder engagement, transparency and reporting practices. The review identifies key challenges, such as difficulties in monetising outcomes, lack of standardisation in methodology and limited peer-reviewed studies. Despite these challenges, SROI offers valuable insights into the broader social value generated by homelessness services, particularly at the local or program level. The study highlights the need for standardisation of SROI reporting, the potential development of domain-specific guidelines and further academic contributions to strengthen the methodology\u2019s application in the homelessness sector. This review underscores the potential of SROI to inform decision-making, improve service delivery and enhance the accountability of homelessness services in Australia.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1071\/py25258","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T21:41:14Z","timestamp":1780350074000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Using social return on investment to evaluate services that support the health of people experiencing homelessness in Australia: a scoping review"],"prefix":"10.1071","volume":"32","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-1945-2483","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Cate","family":"McKenna","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"ACollege of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld, Australia."},{"name":"BPreventive and Primary Care, South West Hospital and Health Service, St George, Qld, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6471-1643","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Christopher","family":"Rouen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CFNQ Connect, The Cairns Institute, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld, Australia."},{"name":"DSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2711-2814","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mary","family":"O\u2019Loughlin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ACollege of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"67","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026060117410698700_R1","unstructured":"ACIL Allen (2022) Social return on investment of BaptistCare NSW and ACT. Available at https:\/\/baptistcare.org.au\/uploads\/images\/ACIL-Allen_Social-Return-on-Investment-Study_BaptistCare.pdf [accessed 20 February]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R2","unstructured":"Allegro J (2013) South Australian homelessness service reforms: the road to success. Available at https:\/\/www.socialventures.com.au\/assets\/Parity_Sept13_Jeanne_Allegro.pdf [accessed 8 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R3","unstructured":"Australian Centre for Value-Based Health Care (2025) What is value-based health care. Available at https:\/\/ahha.asn.au\/what-is-vbhc\/ [accessed 21 August]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R4","unstructured":"Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW] (2023) Homelessness and homelessness services. Available at https:\/\/www.aihw.gov.au\/reports\/australias-welfare\/homelessness-and-homelessness-services [accessed 4 December]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-015-1935-7","article-title":"Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology to account for value for money of public health interventions: a systematic review.","volume":"15","author":"Banke-Thomas","year":"2015","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R6","unstructured":"Beer A, Lester L, Horne S (2016) A home for all: cost-benefit analysis of the Wyatt Trust housing initiative. Available at https:\/\/wyatt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/A-Home-for-All-Report-2016-Wyatt-WEB1.pdf [accessed 8 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R7","unstructured":"Clark L (2019) Inquiry into homelessness in Victoria. Available at https:\/\/new.parliament.vic.gov.au\/493069\/contentassets\/deb0f898b3914ab48044e18558aef4cd\/submission-documents\/s104---backpack-bed-for-homeless_redacted.pdf [accessed 8 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R8","unstructured":"Deloitte Access Economics (2019) Social return on investment: a case study approach, McAuley Community Services for Women. Available at https:\/\/www.mcauley.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/McAuley-Community-Services-for-Women-SROI.pdf [accessed 8 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R9","unstructured":"Deloitte Access Economics (2022) Youth work matters social return on investment study. Available at https:\/\/www.yacvic.org.au\/assets\/Uploads\/Youth-Affairs-Council-Victoria-Social-Return-on-Investment-Study-of-Youth-Work-Final-Report-V2.pdf [accessed 8 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"653","DOI":"10.1007\/s40258-021-00653-5","article-title":"\u2018What you see is all there is\u2019: the importance of heuristics in Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) and Social Return on Investment (SROI) in the evaluation of public health interventions.","volume":"19","author":"Edwards","year":"2021","journal-title":"Applied Health Economics and Health Policy"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R11","unstructured":"Feinstein J, Lightfood S, Young S (2021) Realising and rebuilding resilience: a social return on investment evaluation of the Wellsprings Women\u2019s Support Program. Available at https:\/\/socialvalueuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Assured-Wellsprings-SROI-Report.pdf [accessed 8 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R12","unstructured":"Flatau P, Martin R, Zaretzky K, Haigh Y, Brady M, Cooper L, Edwards D, Goulding D (2006) The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of homelessness prevention and assistance programs. Available at https:\/\/www.ahuri.edu.au\/sites\/default\/files\/migration\/documents\/AHURI_Positioning_Paper_No92_Effectiveness_and_cost_effectiveness_of_homelessness.pdf [accessed 22 June]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R13"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R14","unstructured":"Hiruy K, Elmes A (2022) Support Act service use, effects and social return on investment report. Available at https:\/\/supportact.org.au\/app\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Support-Act-SROI-report-revised-Nov-2022-FINAL74.pdf [accessed 8 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2019-029789","article-title":"Valuing the impact of health and social care programs using social return on investment analysis: how have academics advanced the methodology? A systematic review.","volume":"9","author":"Hutchinson","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R16","unstructured":"Jose K, Hook D, Burgess K, Rainbird S (2019) Centacare evolve housing: evaluative social return on investment for Bridgewater, Gagebrook, Herdsmans Cove 2014-2019. Available at https:\/\/centacareevolve.com.au\/assets\/img\/SROI-FINAL-VERSION-26112019.pdf [accessed 8 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2022.965148","article-title":"Social Return on Investment (SROI) of mental health related interventions \u2013 a scoping review.","volume":"10","author":"Kadel","year":"2022","journal-title":"Frontiers in Public Health"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1071\/AH24279","article-title":"Value-based health care definition and characteristics: an evidence-based approach.","volume":"49","author":"Khalil","year":"2025","journal-title":"Australian Health Review"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R19","unstructured":"Kids Under Cover (2017) Kids Under Cover: Social return on investment report, executive summary. Available at https:\/\/www.kuc.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Kids-Under-Cover-SROI-Executive-Summary.pdf [accessed 9 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R20","unstructured":"Krlev G, Mu\u0308nscher R, Mu\u0308lbert K (2013) Social Return on Investment (SROI): State-of-the-art and perspectives: a meta-analysis of practice in Social Return on Investment (SROI) studies published 2002-2012. Available at https:\/\/archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de\/volltextserver\/18758\/1\/CSI_SROI_Meta_Analysis_2013.pdf [accessed 29 May]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ani13142264","article-title":"Emergency animal boarding: a social return on investment.","volume":"13","author":"Ma","year":"2023","journal-title":"Animals"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"73","DOI":"10.1093\/sw\/swad041","article-title":"Refuge for rover: a social return on investment of a program assisting victim-survivors of domestic and family violence with their pets.","volume":"69","author":"Ma","year":"2023","journal-title":"Social Work"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R23","unstructured":"Ma G, Ravulo J, McGeown U (2023c) RSPCA NSW domestic violence social return on investment report. Available at https:\/\/www.rspcansw.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/RSPCA-NSW-SROI-Report-Domestic-Violence.pdf [accessed 20 February]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ma G, Ravulo J, McGeown U (2023d) RSPCA NSW homelessness and emergency boarding social return on investment report. Available at https:\/\/www.rspcansw.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/RSPCA-NSW-SROI-Report-Homelessness-and-Emergency-Boarding.pdf [accessed 20 February]","DOI":"10.20944\/preprints202305.2130.v1"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2023-081425","article-title":"What is the economic and social return on investment for telephone cancer information and support services in Australia? An evaluative social return on investment study protocol.","volume":"14","author":"McCaffrey","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R26","unstructured":"National Housing Supply and Affordability Council (2025) State of the housing system 2025. Available at https:\/\/nhsac.gov.au\/reports-and-submissions\/state-housing-system-2025 [accessed 22 August]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R27","unstructured":"NEF (2013) Social CBA and SROI. Available at www.nefconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Briefing-on-SROI-and-CBA.pdf [accessed 21 June]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R28","unstructured":"Nicholls J, Lawlor E, Neitzert E, Goodspeed T (2012) A guide to social return on investment. Available at http:\/\/www.socialvaluelab.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/SROI-a-guide-to-social-return-on-investment.pdf [accessed 13 February]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"413","DOI":"10.1002\/nml.21439","article-title":"Challenges and boundaries in implementing social return on investment: an inquiry into its situational appropriateness.","volume":"31","author":"Nielsen","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nonprofit Management and Leadership"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R30","unstructured":"OCAV (2018) Living communities age well. Available at https:\/\/ocav.com.au\/app\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Living-Communities-Age-Well.pdf [accessed 30 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R31","unstructured":"Peters M, Godfrey C, McInerney P, Munn Z, Tricco A, Khalil H (2020) Scoping reviews. Available at https:\/\/synthesismanual.jbi.global [accessed 18 September]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R32","unstructured":"Productivity Commission (2010) Contribution of the not-for-profit sector: productivity commission research report. Available at https:\/\/www.pc.gov.au\/inquiries\/completed\/not-for-profit\/report\/not-for-profit-report.pdf [accessed 29 May 29]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2020-040749","article-title":"What was the impact of a participatory research project in Australian Indigenous primary healthcare services? Applying a comprehensive framework for assessing translational health research to Lessons for the Best.","volume":"11","author":"Ramanathan","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R34","unstructured":"Ravi A (2012) Lakewood CMC social return on investment evaluation. Available at https:\/\/socialvalueuk.org\/reports\/lakewood-cmc-social-return-on-investment-evaluation\/ [accessed 4 April]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R35","unstructured":"Ravi A, Reinhardt C (2011) The social value of community housing in Australia. Available at https:\/\/socialvalueuk.org\/reports\/the-social-value-of-community-housing-in-australia\/ [accessed 5 April]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R36","unstructured":"Ravi A, Siddiqi T, Sridhar K (2014) Social impact of Foodbank Australia\u2019s services: A Social Return on Investment (SROI) forecast. Available at https:\/\/www.foodbank.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/Foodbank-SROI-June-2014.pdf [accessed 30 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R37","unstructured":"Rogers N, Planigale M, Goldzieher M, Shafaei A (2022) Hope Street Youth and Family Services evaluation of first response youth service: final evaluation report. Available at https:\/\/www.hopest.org\/publications\/papers?download=2243:first-response-youth-service-in-melton-evaluation-report [accessed 20 February]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph14121535","article-title":"Tackling health disparities for people who are homeless? Start with social determinants.","volume":"14","author":"Stafford","year":"2017","journal-title":"International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R39","unstructured":"SVA Consulting (2012) Social return on investment: lessons learned in Australia. Available at https:\/\/socialventures.com.au\/assets\/SROI-Lessons-learned-in-Australia.pdf [accessed 12 February]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R40","unstructured":"SVA Consulting (2015) Triple Care Farm: baseline social return on investment, full report. Available at https:\/\/www.missionaustralia.com.au\/publications\/research\/young-people?direction=asc&sort=created_on [accessed 30 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R41","unstructured":"SVA Consulting (2021) For Change Co. Social Return on Investment (SROI) report. Available at https:\/\/forchangeco.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/SROI2021.pdf [accessed 8 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"467","DOI":"10.7326\/M18-0850","article-title":"PRISMA Extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and explanation.","volume":"169","author":"Tricco","year":"2018","journal-title":"Annals of Internal Medicine"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R43"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R44","unstructured":"VWHA (2010) Research Report: Victorian Women\u2019s Housing Association investment in affordable housing for wormen: the social and economic returns. Available at https:\/\/socialvalueuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Victoria-Womens-Housing-SROI.pdf [accessed 20 February]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R45"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R46","unstructured":"Young S (2016) Visible changes: a social return on investment evaluation of women\u2019s community housing. Available at https:\/\/socialvalueuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/WPI_Assured_Report_G.pdf [accessed 4 April]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R47","unstructured":"Young S, Donaldson A (2019) From surviving to thriving: a model breaking negative cycles. A social return on investment evaluation of the Sidney Myer Haven Program. Available at https:\/\/havenhomesafe.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Sidney-Myer-Haven-SROI.pdf [accessed 8 March]"},{"key":"2026060117410698700_R48","unstructured":"Zonta House Refuge Association and SVA Consulting (2022) Zonta House Refuge Association social return on investment report. Available at https:\/\/zontahouse.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1.-Zonta-House-SROI-Report-FINAL-web-version.pdf [accessed 8 March]"}],"container-title":["Australian Journal of Primary Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/connectsci.au\/py\/article-pdf\/doi\/10.1071\/PY25258\/1869777\/py25258.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/connectsci.au\/py\/article-pdf\/doi\/10.1071\/PY25258\/1869777\/py25258.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T21:41:18Z","timestamp":1780350078000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/connectsci.au\/py\/article\/32\/3\/PY25258\/272711\/Using-social-return-on-investment-to-evaluate"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]]},"references-count":48,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1071\/py25258","relation":{},"ISSN":["1448-7527","1836-7399"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1448-7527","type":"print"},{"value":"1836-7399","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]]},"article-number":"PY25258"}}