Race, Housing & Community

Ethnicity, Race and Inequality in the UK

“…A significant problem continues to be that race and ethnicity are marginalised from housing debates (Finney et al, 2018b), and as a result black and ethnic minorities' needs and voices tend to be excluded from housing planning and provision, with the implication that housing does not adequately cater for a diverse society. Previously black and ethnic minority housing groups have been integral to gains made in relation to social housing but these groups are marginal (Harrison et al, 2005;Robinson, 2002;Beider, 2012). The housing association sector has grown and seen more commercially orientated housing associations merge (Finney et al, 2018b;Lukes et al, 2018), which has a negative effect on those black and ethnic minority housing associations that have been vital to ethnic minorities' access to social housing.…”

White Working-Class Voices

“…In comparison with minority communities , white people do not need to address racist stereotypes that disadvantage them in housing, education and employment markets. In contrast to Muslims, neither do white people need to respond to the racialisation that shines a searching light on their loyalty or discussions of how they are a threat to the country in terms of values, 'norms' and identity (CIC, 2007;Beider, 2012). Dyer's analysis states that white people are given liberty to be themselves because they are the normalised and hegemonic group in society, the litmus test that all others are measured against.…”

“…However, this ignores human rights and downplays anti-racism in shaping the concept. A good example of the overlap between these two approaches is the campaign for a better deal for minority communities on social housing (see Harrison, 1995;Beider, 2007Beider, , 2012. For most of the post-1945 period, colonial immigrants from the Caribbean and Indian subcontinent had been locked out of social housing by a racialised political climate and racist discrimination in housing allocation practised by local authorities (Rex and Tomlinson, 1979;Beider, 2012).…”

“…A good example of the overlap between these two approaches is the campaign for a better deal for minority communities on social housing (see Harrison, 1995;Beider, 2007Beider, , 2012. For most of the post-1945 period, colonial immigrants from the Caribbean and Indian subcontinent had been locked out of social housing by a racialised political climate and racist discrimination in housing allocation practised by local authorities (Rex and Tomlinson, 1979;Beider, 2012). The combination of national frameworks and local implementation disadvantaged minority communities and impacted on life chances and outcomes as minority communities lived in overcrowded and poor-quality private sector housing (see Daniel, 1968).…”

“…The campaign to improve housing conditions was based on anti-racism practice and securing a multicultural society for Britain. It was led locally by black-led housing associations (see Harrison, 1995) and nationally by the Federation of Black Housing Organisations (Beider, 2012). These early, radical roots of multiculturalism pre-dated the 1981 and 1985 riots in Britain's inner cities, and the subsequent government-sponsored policies designed to address discrimination against people and the renewal of neighbourhoods.…”