Latest news with #SuzanneFitzpatrick
ITV News
11-07-2025
- Health
- ITV News
Black people in UK almost four times more likely to become homeless, study finds
Black people in the UK are almost four times more likely to face homelessness than white people, and many say they feel pressured to change their names, accents or hairstyles to avoid discrimination, new research shows. A three-and-a-half-year study by the Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research (I-SPHERE) at Heriot-Watt University analysed 750,000 household records and found that just 10% of Black families secured social housing through the homelessness system, compared to 24% of White families. As part of the study, black people affected by housing discrimination were interviewed, with many saying they felt the need to mask their identities - a common theme that emerged across focus groups. One participant said: "I always hide my identity...I've got 21 names that I just go by…because I've experienced a lot of discrimination, I don't like to just tell people anything, about my nationality, about my status." Another said: "My sister had to change her name to our father's first name…She had to start watching YouTube channels to speak from a proper English accent…she said it's working for her. "She said, somebody at work said, 'You're not a typical Black woman,' and she didn't react, but she said that she understood immediately…My son has an all ethnic name and she was telling me recently, you better change it." Someone else said: "I have a mixture of friends, but my white friends, they got help immediately from the council. I do feel like race plays a big part in it. I don't know." Heriot-Watt University said the findings expose a housing system that not only fails to address existing inequalities but actively reinforces them through poor outcomes and discriminatory treatment. Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick, director of I-SPHERE at Heriot-Watt University and the report's lead author, said: "The evidence is stark: Black people are almost four times more likely to become homeless, and when they do access the statutory system, they face dramatically worse outcomes. "We have quantitative evidence that their outcomes are worryingly poor, and both qualitative and quantitative evidence that they face racial discrimination. "This is a system that's supposed to help people in crisis, yet we're hearing accounts of callous, uncaring and unresponsive services." She said the study also reveals "ethnic disparities in the risks, experiences and outcomes associated with homelessness in contemporary England". "This demands an urgent and wide-ranging response," she said. "We're not just talking about poor housing outcomes here, we're talking in some cases about people feeling forced to deny their own identity to access basic services." The study also found that black families are six times more likely to live in overcrowded homes than white households, while Pakistani and Bangladeshi households face the highest rates of overcrowding, more than seven times the white average. And it revealed that 41% of black families leave the homelessness system for unknown destinations, compared to 28% of white families. Matt Downie, chief executive of the homeless charity Crisis, said: "Through their upcoming homelessness strategy, the UK Government must take the chance to root out racial discrimination and prejudice in our housing and homelessness systems by adopting the recommendations in this report. "For social housing, we would like to see the Government go further by ensuring providers allocate homes to people experiencing homelessness from all backgrounds. "Removing these structural barriers would allow people to rebuild their lives and leave homelessness behind for good, regardless of their background, race or identity." The report urges the government to use its upcoming cross-departmental homelessness strategy to tackle the disproportionate impact on minoritised communities. It calls for greater accountability at all levels, action on racism among private landlords, and a complete overhaul of how the asylum and homelessness systems are connected. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson reiterated to ITV News that racism in Britain's housing system is illegal. They said: 'Racism in our housing system is illegal, and we urge anyone who has suffered from discrimination to report it so it can be investigated and we can put an end to this disgraceful behaviour. 'We are also taking urgent action to fix the housing crisis we inherited so people do not need to access these services in the first place, including providing £1 billion for crucial homelessness services this year.'
Glasgow Times
11-07-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
‘Homeless black families less than half as likely to get into social housing'
While almost a quarter (24%) of white families in the statutory homelessness system ended up in social housing, this was true of only around one in 10 (10%) black families, the three-year research project concluded. Academics from Heriot-Watt University's Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research, said their findings showed that black people 'face dramatically worse outcomes' when it comes to housing support. Researchers analysed 750,000 household records of official English statutory homelessness data, covering 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22 and said their study is the most comprehensive of its kind. They found that only around 11-12% of most other minority ethnic groups gained access to social housing in the system at this time. As well as data analysis for social housing, researchers carried out focus groups with people who had direct experience of homelessness who also told of experiences with private landlords. They heard evidence of people from black and other minority ethnic groups feeling they had to change their names or accents and in some cases even cut their hair to try to avoid discrimination. The report said: 'Strikingly, there was evidence of minoritised people feeling compelled to disguise their ethnic identity and migration status in an attempt to gain fair access to employment, housing and public services. 'This included changing, or hiding, their name, nationality, accent and even aspects of their appearance such as their hair. 'There seemed to be a particular imperative for people to disguise their status as refugees, reflecting the additional and specific forms of discrimination and disadvantage that they faced.' Other findings from the data analysis reveal 'systematic disadvantage throughout the homelessness process', researchers said. These included that black families were six times more likely to live in overcrowded conditions than white households, Pakistani and Bangladeshi households faced the highest overcrowding rates at over seven times the white average and 41% of black families left the statutory system to unknown destinations, compared to 28% for white families. Lead report author, Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick, said: 'The evidence is stark: black people are almost four times more likely to become homeless, and when they do access the statutory system, they face dramatically worse outcomes. 'We have quantitative evidence that their outcomes are worryingly poor, and qualitative evidence that they face racial discrimination. This is a system that's supposed to help people in crisis, yet we're hearing accounts of callous, uncaring and unresponsive services. 'This evidence, the most comprehensive study of its type, reveals ethnic disparities in the risks, experiences and outcomes associated with homelessness in contemporary England. 'This demands an urgent and wide-ranging response. We're talking not only about poor housing outcomes here, but also in some cases about people feeling forced to deny their own identity to access basic services.' The report's recommendations include calls to tackle racial inequalities through the upcoming cross-government strategy on homelessness; invest in the professionalisation, training and support of housing and homelessness officers; tackle racism among private landlords; and a rejection of what they call 'ethnicity-blind' approaches as well as ensuring there is 'robust' monitoring data to identify and address racist assumptions and discriminatory practices. Matt Downie, chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis described the research as 'groundbreaking' and said it 'provides fresh evidence of racism in our housing and support systems'. 'The findings are deeply concerning and must act as a wake up call. No-one should be denied a safe and stable home, and we all have a part to play in ending homelessness for everyone. 'Through their upcoming homelessness strategy, the UK Government must take the chance to root out racial discrimination and prejudice in our housing and homelessness systems by adopting the recommendations in this report.' The Local Government Association, which represents local authorities, declined to comment. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'Racism in our housing system is illegal, and we urge anyone who has suffered from discrimination to report it so it can be investigated and we can put an end to this disgraceful behaviour. 'We are also taking urgent action to fix the housing crisis we inherited so people do not need to access these services in the first place, including providing £1 billion for crucial homelessness services this year.'
South Wales Guardian
11-07-2025
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
‘Homeless black families less than half as likely to get into social housing'
While almost a quarter (24%) of white families in the statutory homelessness system ended up in social housing, this was true of only around one in 10 (10%) black families, the three-year research project concluded. Academics from Heriot-Watt University's Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research, said their findings showed that black people 'face dramatically worse outcomes' when it comes to housing support. Researchers analysed 750,000 household records of official English statutory homelessness data, covering 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22 and said their study is the most comprehensive of its kind. They found that only around 11-12% of most other minority ethnic groups gained access to social housing in the system at this time. As well as data analysis for social housing, researchers carried out focus groups with people who had direct experience of homelessness who also told of experiences with private landlords. They heard evidence of people from black and other minority ethnic groups feeling they had to change their names or accents and in some cases even cut their hair to try to avoid discrimination. The report said: 'Strikingly, there was evidence of minoritised people feeling compelled to disguise their ethnic identity and migration status in an attempt to gain fair access to employment, housing and public services. 'This included changing, or hiding, their name, nationality, accent and even aspects of their appearance such as their hair. 'There seemed to be a particular imperative for people to disguise their status as refugees, reflecting the additional and specific forms of discrimination and disadvantage that they faced.' Other findings from the data analysis reveal 'systematic disadvantage throughout the homelessness process', researchers said. These included that black families were six times more likely to live in overcrowded conditions than white households, Pakistani and Bangladeshi households faced the highest overcrowding rates at over seven times the white average and 41% of black families left the statutory system to unknown destinations, compared to 28% for white families. Lead report author, Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick, said: 'The evidence is stark: black people are almost four times more likely to become homeless, and when they do access the statutory system, they face dramatically worse outcomes. 'We have quantitative evidence that their outcomes are worryingly poor, and qualitative evidence that they face racial discrimination. This is a system that's supposed to help people in crisis, yet we're hearing accounts of callous, uncaring and unresponsive services. 'This evidence, the most comprehensive study of its type, reveals ethnic disparities in the risks, experiences and outcomes associated with homelessness in contemporary England. 'This demands an urgent and wide-ranging response. We're talking not only about poor housing outcomes here, but also in some cases about people feeling forced to deny their own identity to access basic services.' The report's recommendations include calls to tackle racial inequalities through the upcoming cross-government strategy on homelessness; invest in the professionalisation, training and support of housing and homelessness officers; tackle racism among private landlords; and a rejection of what they call 'ethnicity-blind' approaches as well as ensuring there is 'robust' monitoring data to identify and address racist assumptions and discriminatory practices. Matt Downie, chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis described the research as 'groundbreaking' and said it 'provides fresh evidence of racism in our housing and support systems'. 'The findings are deeply concerning and must act as a wake up call. No-one should be denied a safe and stable home, and we all have a part to play in ending homelessness for everyone. 'Through their upcoming homelessness strategy, the UK Government must take the chance to root out racial discrimination and prejudice in our housing and homelessness systems by adopting the recommendations in this report.' The Local Government Association, which represents local authorities, declined to comment. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'Racism in our housing system is illegal, and we urge anyone who has suffered from discrimination to report it so it can be investigated and we can put an end to this disgraceful behaviour. 'We are also taking urgent action to fix the housing crisis we inherited so people do not need to access these services in the first place, including providing £1 billion for crucial homelessness services this year.'
North Wales Chronicle
11-07-2025
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
‘Homeless black families less than half as likely to get into social housing'
While almost a quarter (24%) of white families in the statutory homelessness system ended up in social housing, this was true of only around one in 10 (10%) black families, the three-year research project concluded. Academics from Heriot-Watt University's Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research, said their findings showed that black people 'face dramatically worse outcomes' when it comes to housing support. Researchers analysed 750,000 household records of official English statutory homelessness data, covering 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22 and said their study is the most comprehensive of its kind. They found that only around 11-12% of most other minority ethnic groups gained access to social housing in the system at this time. As well as data analysis for social housing, researchers carried out focus groups with people who had direct experience of homelessness who also told of experiences with private landlords. They heard evidence of people from black and other minority ethnic groups feeling they had to change their names or accents and in some cases even cut their hair to try to avoid discrimination. The report said: 'Strikingly, there was evidence of minoritised people feeling compelled to disguise their ethnic identity and migration status in an attempt to gain fair access to employment, housing and public services. 'This included changing, or hiding, their name, nationality, accent and even aspects of their appearance such as their hair. 'There seemed to be a particular imperative for people to disguise their status as refugees, reflecting the additional and specific forms of discrimination and disadvantage that they faced.' Other findings from the data analysis reveal 'systematic disadvantage throughout the homelessness process', researchers said. These included that black families were six times more likely to live in overcrowded conditions than white households, Pakistani and Bangladeshi households faced the highest overcrowding rates at over seven times the white average and 41% of black families left the statutory system to unknown destinations, compared to 28% for white families. Lead report author, Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick, said: 'The evidence is stark: black people are almost four times more likely to become homeless, and when they do access the statutory system, they face dramatically worse outcomes. 'We have quantitative evidence that their outcomes are worryingly poor, and qualitative evidence that they face racial discrimination. This is a system that's supposed to help people in crisis, yet we're hearing accounts of callous, uncaring and unresponsive services. 'This evidence, the most comprehensive study of its type, reveals ethnic disparities in the risks, experiences and outcomes associated with homelessness in contemporary England. 'This demands an urgent and wide-ranging response. We're talking not only about poor housing outcomes here, but also in some cases about people feeling forced to deny their own identity to access basic services.' The report's recommendations include calls to tackle racial inequalities through the upcoming cross-government strategy on homelessness; invest in the professionalisation, training and support of housing and homelessness officers; tackle racism among private landlords; and a rejection of what they call 'ethnicity-blind' approaches as well as ensuring there is 'robust' monitoring data to identify and address racist assumptions and discriminatory practices. Matt Downie, chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis described the research as 'groundbreaking' and said it 'provides fresh evidence of racism in our housing and support systems'. 'The findings are deeply concerning and must act as a wake up call. No-one should be denied a safe and stable home, and we all have a part to play in ending homelessness for everyone. 'Through their upcoming homelessness strategy, the UK Government must take the chance to root out racial discrimination and prejudice in our housing and homelessness systems by adopting the recommendations in this report.' The Local Government Association, which represents local authorities, declined to comment. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'Racism in our housing system is illegal, and we urge anyone who has suffered from discrimination to report it so it can be investigated and we can put an end to this disgraceful behaviour. 'We are also taking urgent action to fix the housing crisis we inherited so people do not need to access these services in the first place, including providing £1 billion for crucial homelessness services this year.'
South Wales Argus
11-07-2025
- Health
- South Wales Argus
‘Homeless black families less than half as likely to get into social housing'
While almost a quarter (24%) of white families in the statutory homelessness system ended up in social housing, this was true of only around one in 10 (10%) black families, the three-year research project concluded. Academics from Heriot-Watt University's Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research, said their findings showed that black people 'face dramatically worse outcomes' when it comes to housing support. Researchers analysed 750,000 household records of official English statutory homelessness data, covering 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22 and said their study is the most comprehensive of its kind. They found that only around 11-12% of most other minority ethnic groups gained access to social housing in the system at this time. As well as data analysis for social housing, researchers carried out focus groups with people who had direct experience of homelessness who also told of experiences with private landlords. They heard evidence of people from black and other minority ethnic groups feeling they had to change their names or accents and in some cases even cut their hair to try to avoid discrimination. The report said: 'Strikingly, there was evidence of minoritised people feeling compelled to disguise their ethnic identity and migration status in an attempt to gain fair access to employment, housing and public services. 'This included changing, or hiding, their name, nationality, accent and even aspects of their appearance such as their hair. 'There seemed to be a particular imperative for people to disguise their status as refugees, reflecting the additional and specific forms of discrimination and disadvantage that they faced.' Other findings from the data analysis reveal 'systematic disadvantage throughout the homelessness process', researchers said. These included that black families were six times more likely to live in overcrowded conditions than white households, Pakistani and Bangladeshi households faced the highest overcrowding rates at over seven times the white average and 41% of black families left the statutory system to unknown destinations, compared to 28% for white families. Lead report author, Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick, said: 'The evidence is stark: black people are almost four times more likely to become homeless, and when they do access the statutory system, they face dramatically worse outcomes. 'We have quantitative evidence that their outcomes are worryingly poor, and qualitative evidence that they face racial discrimination. This is a system that's supposed to help people in crisis, yet we're hearing accounts of callous, uncaring and unresponsive services. 'This evidence, the most comprehensive study of its type, reveals ethnic disparities in the risks, experiences and outcomes associated with homelessness in contemporary England. 'This demands an urgent and wide-ranging response. We're talking not only about poor housing outcomes here, but also in some cases about people feeling forced to deny their own identity to access basic services.' The report's recommendations include calls to tackle racial inequalities through the upcoming cross-government strategy on homelessness; invest in the professionalisation, training and support of housing and homelessness officers; tackle racism among private landlords; and a rejection of what they call 'ethnicity-blind' approaches as well as ensuring there is 'robust' monitoring data to identify and address racist assumptions and discriminatory practices. Matt Downie, chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis described the research as 'groundbreaking' and said it 'provides fresh evidence of racism in our housing and support systems'. 'The findings are deeply concerning and must act as a wake up call. No-one should be denied a safe and stable home, and we all have a part to play in ending homelessness for everyone. 'Through their upcoming homelessness strategy, the UK Government must take the chance to root out racial discrimination and prejudice in our housing and homelessness systems by adopting the recommendations in this report.' The Local Government Association, which represents local authorities, declined to comment. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'Racism in our housing system is illegal, and we urge anyone who has suffered from discrimination to report it so it can be investigated and we can put an end to this disgraceful behaviour. 'We are also taking urgent action to fix the housing crisis we inherited so people do not need to access these services in the first place, including providing £1 billion for crucial homelessness services this year.'
