An overview of Housing Briefing 16...

Title:
Black and minority ethnic communities' experience of overcrowding

Author:
Adrian Jones, August 2010

Key messages:

1. The definitions used for 'overcrowding' are out of date
2. Overcrowding is a growing problem, especially in the private rented sector
3. There are insufficient larger homes to address existing needs
4. Overcrowding has negative impacts in terms of health, education and family relationships
5. Black and minority ethnic households are more likely than white households to be living in overcrowded conditions – this is particularly the case for Bangladeshi and Black African households
6. A number of measures have been identified that could help to address overcrowding.

Sections:

1. What is meant by 'overcrowding'?
2. Why is overcrowding increasing?
3. The national picture
4. Impacts of overcrowding
5. Overcrowding and black and minority ethnic households
6. Remedial measures

About the author:

Adrian Jones has worked as a researcher in the private, public and voluntary sectors as well as in academia, mostly with black and minority ethnic and marginalised communities across the UK. Adrian is a member of the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Expert Panel on Housing and Communities Analysis and an Associate of the Human City Institute.

An overview of Housing Briefing 15...

Title:
Linking black and minority ethnic organisations with mainstream homeless service providers

Authors:
Gina Netto and Theo Gavrielides, May 2010

Key messages:

1. Homelessness service provision to black and minority ethnic communities needs to be informed by in-depth knowledge and understanding of the causes, manifestations and perceptions of homelessness within these communities
2. Black and minority ethnic and mainstream homelessness organisations should address the significant barriers faced by black and minority ethnic communities in accessing homelessness services
3. Significant differences exist in the nature of services offered by black and minority ethnic and mainstream organisations
4. The provision of homelessness services to black and minority ethnic homeless individuals can be improved by forging stronger links between black and minority ethnic and mainstream homelessness organisations
5. Partnership working between black and minority ethnic and mainstream organisations can seek to increase awareness of homelessness services among these communities, widen access to early intervention, maintain ongoing support to vulnerable individuals and inform policy development.

Sections:

1. Addressing homelessness in the UK
2. Difficulties in accessing services
3. Nature and patterns of service provision
4. Need for links between agencies
5. Practice points for future joint working

About the authors:

Gina Netto is currently a lecturer in the School of the Built Environment, Heriot Watt University. She has led on a number of funded projects and written on minority ethnic access to public services, multiculturalism, discrimination and identity for Housing Studies, Sociology, Public Policy and Administration, Public Health, Journal of Mental Health, Health Promotion International and other journals.

Theo Gavrielides is the Founder and Director of the youth-led social policy think-tank Independent Academic Research Studies. Previously, he was the Chief Executive of Race on the Agenda. He has published extensively in academic journals, while his book Restorative Justice Theory and Practice has been published by the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control affiliated with the United Nations (HEUNI).

An overview of Housing Briefing 14...

Title:
Harnessing the talents of marginalised communities

Authors:
Patricia A. Jones and Sarfraz Hussain, February 2010

Key messages:

1. Marginalised groups become visible, credible and respected partners when their role is formally recognised by housing providers
2. Community empowerment needs to be part of a wider transformation agenda, taking greater account of what communities have to offer
3. Recognition criteria establish an ongoing relationship from one of occasional consultation to one of long-term participation
4. Developing long-term participation ensures that marginalised groups play a part in social sustainability by building understanding and links at neighbourhood level.

Sections:

1. The emerging role of refugee community organisations
2. A transformative approach to community empowerment
3. The importance of recognition
4. Establishing an ongoing relationship

About the authors:

Patricia Jones is currently completing a doctoral thesis, Refugee Community Organisations in Partnership: The quest for recognition, based on hact’s innovative Accommodate Project. It focuses on refugee empowerment as process. Her research interests include network governance, community development practice, community participation in collaboration and the role of the tenants’ movement in social housing today.

Sarfraz Hussain is a Projects Director with hact, responsible for projects relating to refugees, migrants and community empowerment. He is a member of the Homes and Communities Agency Equality and Diversity Board Advisory Group. Before joining the housing sector, Sarfraz held senior posts in the Citizens Advice Bureau service.

An overview of Housing Briefing 13...

Title:
Monitoring the ethnicity of housing service users: forty years of progress?

Author:
Adrian Jones, November 2009

Key messages:

1. Despite forty years of recommendations for ethnic monitoring in housing services, there is little evidence that such monitoring is actually taking place in a regular, systematic and detailed manner
2. A number of clear reasons why services should be monitored can be identified
3. Classifications used to record ethnicity should reflect the local picture whilst still being possible to compare to CORE and Census data
4. Although there is generally a lack of detailed analysis of the data collected, a number of housing associations and local authorities are producing reports that seek to go beyond merely presenting frontline lettings data
5. There is a real danger that ethnic monitoring may be lost within the broader equalities agenda, particularly given the time and resource constraints under which service providers operate

Sections:

1. Background
2. Why monitor?
3. What categories should be used?
4. Ethnic Monitoring Good Practice
5. Good Practice Examples Housing Associations
6. Good Practice Examples Local Authorities

About the author:

Adrian Jones has worked as a researcher in the private, public and voluntary sectors as well as in academia, mostly with BME and marginalised communities across the UK. He is the author of Making Monitoring Work: A handbook for racial equality practitioners and has worked with a wide range of organisations on the collection and effective use of monitoring data. Adrian is a member of the Department for Communities and Local Government's Expert Panel on Housing and Communities Analysis and an Associate of the Human City Institute.

An overview of Housing Briefing 12...

Title:
Refugee community organisations: working in partnership to improve access to housing services

Authors:
Patricia A. Jones, David Mullins, April 2009

Key messages:

1. Housing services for refugees are better targeted and delivered when refugee community organisations (RCOs) are involved as partners in knowledge sharing and co-production: this means involving them at an early stage
2. RCOs vary in size, resources and experience and all have a part to play, but in order to participate fully, voluntary representatives need ongoing support
3. 'Network management' is required to ensure that all partners learn from one another and synergies are maximised
4. Recruiting and training refugee community researchers empowers community members to take ownership of the research agenda
5. Partnership initiatives that impact locally can also influence national policy.

Sections:

1. The benefits of active inclusion of RCOs in partnerships
2. Ongoing support
3. A network management approach
4. Community researchers
5. From local practice to national policy influence

About the authors:

Patricia Jones is currently completing her PhD, Refugee Community Organisations in Partnership: The quest for recognition, based on hact's innovative Accommodate programme. It focuses on refugee empowerment as process. Her research interests include network governance, community development and the role of the tenants movement in social housing today.

David Mullins is Professor of Housing Policy in CURS at the University of Birmingham and a member of the ESRC Third Sector Research Centre. He worked with hact throughout the Accommodate programme and became interested in the role hact played in managing the network. He has written on network governance, housing and regeneration and is co-author (with Alan Murie) of the leading textbook, Housing Policy in the UK.