Ethnic Inequalities and Homelessness in the UK

Homelessness is a major social concern in the UK, and in a period of political turbulence, health crisis and large increases in the cost of living, risks of exacerbation of homelessness are heightened. This report is concerned with how experience of homelessness differs across ethnic groups in Britain, why this is and what interventions might be appropriate to mitigate a homelessness ethnic penalty. Although there is some understanding of disadvantage in housing faced by ethnic minority groups, scant evidence exists on how homelessness is patterned by race in the UK. This Policy Paper summarises evidence on rates of homelessness across different ethnic groups and what is known about what might mitigate ethnic inequalities in homelessness. It brings together analysis on homelessness, race equality and data infrastructure policy issues and points to areas for intervention and further research. This paper can inform central and local government, research audiences, service providers and commissioners concerned with the potential disparities in experiences, and impacts of, homelessness amongst people of different ethnicities. This paper finds stark, regionally specific, ethnic inequalities in homelessness in Britain. It concludes that there is a pressing need for race equality approaches to be brought into homelessness programmes nationally and locally, together with investment to address the void in data and research on race and homelessness in the UK.

Read More »