Study calls for ‘proactive policies’ to ensure equitable access to social housing

'PROACTIVE' policies and practices are needed to provide equitable access to social housing for ethnic minority communities in Scotland, new research concluded.

The study, conducted by Shelter Scotland, CEMVO and Heriot-Watt University, said improvements should be made to housing systems and processes to ensure an "anti-racist" culture.

There should also be an emphasis from senior management to engage with research and create cultures that promote equality of opportunity and outcome, the survey said.

Experience and fear of racial harassment and landlords’ response to racially motivated hate crime impacted living within social housing, the study, funded by abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, found.

It said social landlords should develop “more effective approaches” against perpetrators of racial harassment and provide better support for victims. Many individuals from minority ethnic communities appear to put up with racial harassment with little or no support from social landlords, the report noted.

While the typically small size of properties limited the choices available to individuals from all ethnic groups, larger households in some communities faced additional challenges in finding accommodation within the sector. This contributed to higher rates of overcrowding in some ethnic groups, the research found.

Issues faced by individuals across all ethnic groups included the lack of affordability of housing in the private rented sector and home ownership, with the financial struggles of some individuals of minority groups placing them at increased risk of homelessness, it said.

Shelter Scotland director Alison Watson said although Scotland has some of the “most progressive housing legislation in the world”, it means “nothing if people can’t access safe, secure and affordable homes.”

Professor Gina Netto from Heriot-Watt University said pockets of good practice existed in the housing sector, the evidence indicates that the pace of change towards a more inclusive sector has been “slow”.

This called for “urgent anti-racist action,” Netto said.