Available evidence points to ethnic inequalities within the UK housing system that are longstanding, deep-seated and enduring.  This includes differences in tenure profiles, and exposure to overcrowded and poor quality living conditions, housing insecurity and homelessness.  The reasons for these inequalities are difficult to unpick.  Possible explanations include a lack of attention to the issue within policy and practice and housing research, and a related scarcity of evidence and data. This study will explore these claims via an audit of available data, evidence and understanding, which will prompt discussion about attention to ethnic inequalities in contemporary housing studies, particularly in the UK.  It also aims to audit the extent to which attention to ethnic inequalities is mainstreamed into housing policy and practice, and the role that institutional practices currently play in exacerbating and mitigating inequalities.  The ambition here is not to provide definitive answers about what is and what should be, but to promote a more informed debate within housing policy about: the role and responsibilities of policy and practice within the current framework of housing law, regulation, and service delivery; whether these responsibilities are being fulfilled; and whether they are adequate, given concerns that inequalities are growing with potential impacts on opportunities and wellbeing.

Timeline: Running until May 2022

Team: David Robinson (Co-Investigator), John Flint (Co-Investigator), Jenny Preece (Research Associate), Kim McKee(Co-Investigator), Gareth Young (Knowledge Exchange & Impact Fellow), Advisory Group

Theme: Wider drivers