Tackling poor-quality housing faced by England’s older minority ethnic communities
Nearly 8 million people live in a dangerous home, approximately 2.6 million of whom are aged 55 and over.
However, for older people from a Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic background, they are more than five times more likely to be living in housing deprivation.
That includes more than one in three (36%) Bangladeshi people and more than one in four (29%) Black African people and Pakistani people (27%) aged 50 and over living in homes that are overcrowded, have shared facilities or which lack central heating.
This is compared with 3.5% of White British people of the same age group who are living in housing deprivation.
Research commissioned by the Centre for Ageing Better revealed around half a million people aged 50 and above from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic backgrounds are living in a home with one, or multiple, problems that could be making their existing health condition worse.
Good Home Hub
Centre for Ageing Better believe a key solution to the housing crisis is for all communities across England to have access to a network of ‘one-stop-shops’ covering all aspects of home improvements, which they call a Good Home Hub.
These easy-to-access hubs would offer advice on home repairs and adaptations including where to find trusted tradespeople, identifying what work needs to be done, how to finance repairs and improve energy efficiency.
To ensure these hubs are effective, they must be easy-to-access to all, and especially to those most in need of advice and solutions to their poor-quality housing problems.
Anti-racist support
We are excited to announce that alongside the Centre for Ageing Better we are working to create anti-racist Good Home Hubs.
The project will look at the current landscape of housing support and home improvements for people from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic backgrounds as well as the lived experiences of communities in trying to live in healthier, warmer, and safer homes.
The research will aim to uncover the motivations of Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities when accessing home improvement services and what barriers might exist that prevent them from seeking help.
We will be working with partners to understand what local authorities and wider stakeholders involved in home improvement services must consider.
Our ambition for this work is to support and challenge local areas to design services through the lens of inclusion so that all communities can benefit from positive housing outcomes.
This is an important consideration for local authorities to ensure inclusion and fairness.
Jahan Foster, Senior Researcher at the Foundation notes:
We are excited to be working with the Centre for Ageing Better to address the housing inequalities faced by older people from Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic communities. Too many are living in homes that harm their health, with racism and associated poverty driving housing deprivation. Through this partnership, we will work with people with lived experience to shape an anti-racist and inclusive Good Home Hub that truly meets the needs of all communities.
