Pathway Housing

Pathway Housing Solutions – Building Futures

It is 20 years since the Macpherson Inquiry into the racially motivated death of Stephen Lawrence, which brought to the forefront the ingrained problem of institutional and structural racism.

Institutional racism was defined by Sir William Macpherson in the UK as: "The collective failure of an organization to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people." ‘This has led to unprecedented levels of dissatisfaction, confidence and mistrust in the system, statutory organisations and the services they deliver’.

– Housing Inequalities & Homelessness in the Black Community

Homelessness figures are disturbing for all communities, but again BAME communities fare worse than white communities in access to housing. According to Shelter, one in three homeless households are not white, compared to around one in seven in the general population. They state that between 2012 and 2017, there was a 22% increase in statutory homelessness. Among white households this rose 9%, whereas homelessness among black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) households rose 48%. Within this, there were further disparities. Homelessness among black households was up 42%, Chinese and others up 35% and mixed-race households up 33%, which all represent disproportionate rises. Homelessness among Asian households rose by 71%. The quality and availability of housing for BAME households is also a national problem. Non-white, or BAME households, are more likely to experience housing stress, such as overcrowding, poorer quality housing and fuel poverty, and to be more concentrated in England’s most deprived neighbourhoods. According to a report on race and housing issues, (Forty Years of Struggle A Window on Race and Housing, Disadvantage and Exclusion, Kevin Gulliver, by the Human City Institute, 2016) where he reviews a range of research from the 1960s onwards, he outlines how BAME communities have always experienced disproportionate housing need and faced discrimination in housing markets, both resulting from, and contributing to, higher levels of socio-economic disadvantage. He suggests that the housing needs of BAME communities have always been compounded by direct and indirect discrimination in housing markets in England. So, whilst he states that the housing needs gap between BAME and White communities has receded a little (aided by the BAME housing sector; decades of community activism, ‘race and housing’ policies and strategies; and race relations, equality and human rights legislation), disadvantage and discrimination along racial and ethnic lines persist. For example, social lettings to BAME applicants are not at levels expected for the extent of their needs, and lettings on affordable rent are similarly distinct.

Furthermore, having a decent affordable home is also a key determinant of people’s health and well-being and the impact of housing on health is now being widely considered by health sector policy makers as well as the housing sector itself. These figures don’t reflect the numbers of non-statutory homeless or those people sofa surfing, or staying with friends, neither do they show the human cost of homelessness or the personal impact on families of living in overcrowded and unsafe housing. During Black History Month, Pathway Housing Solutions will be launching two research studies. “Homelessness in the BAME Community” and “Housing Inequalities”. These studies will investigate the long-standing, structural race inequalities, that the death of George Floyd and the coronavirus pandemic has so cruelly, yet so blatantly, laid bare, and also provide an historical account of the Windrush Generation’s experiences of Housing.

– The Housing Crisis. Struggling To Get On The Housing Ladder?

The UK is in the midst of a housing crisis, and according to the National Housing Federation, this is affecting more than 8 million people, 1 in every 7 people. Home ownership is in serious decline. House prices and rental costs have become unaffordable for many, such that home ownership rates have declined significantly – from 43% for those aged 27 in the 1970s to 25 % for those born in the late 1980s. Whilst all ethnic groups have seen a decline in the proportion of home ownership in their respective populations as part of the national trend, BAME households are today far less likely to own their homes, either outright or through a mortgage. These figures paint a daunting picture of housing aspirations for the black community, and in particular for our young people, highlighting evidence of people struggling to access affordable housing to rent or buy. Pathway Housing Solutions will be running a series of Housing Webinars, complimented by Community Listening Events, to raise awareness of the Housing Crisis and Alternative Routes to Affordable Housing. For more information see our website, and social media campaign #Hope4HousiNG.

– The Economy, Housing, The Construction Industry and our Young People

The effect of the pandemic on the economy is impacting on the job market. At the same time the construction sector is seen as a pathway to support economic recovery. However, we know that BME young people are underrepresented in the Built Environment professions, such as Architects and Quantity Surveyors. Pathway Housing Solutions will be running a project that supports

young people’s entry into higher education, provides financial help while they are studying, and supports

their progression into employment.

– Join Our Campaign. A Place Called Home

We are reliant on the generosity of individuals and corporate supporters to deliver our charitable objectives, and ensure that we continue to provide housing and community services. We will be launching a Go Fund Me Campaign to raise funds to; purchase and renovate derelict properties that will provide a home for a homeless family, and also offer financial

help to black students while they are studying.

Announcing these initiatives, Henri Baptiste echoed the words of many by stating: "Now is a once in a

generation opportunity to tackle long-standing entrenched racial inequalities”. “We know the problems, and we know the challenges, it’s time for us to come together to make our own solutions”.

For more information or to get involved in the research, please contact: Research@ pathwayhousingsolutions.org.uk info@pathwayhousingsolutions.org.uk www.pathwayhousingsoultions.org.uk

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Pathway Housing Solutions (“Pathway”) is a Community Interest Company. It aims to create genuinely affordable homes to rent or buy.