Room for All: Race, Shelter, and the Power of Policy Roundtable Discussion

Last week, Voice4Change England’s Policy and Influence Officer, Christabelle Quaynor, hosted the Room For All Roundtable as part of our commitment to creating safe and equitable housing for Black and Minoritised Ethnic communities.

This internal session brought together researchers, stakeholders, and activists within the housing sector to discuss how we might identify opportunities for collaboration and collective action to ultimately generate practical policy recommendations.

Roundtable Attendees:

• Tilly Smith: Research and Engagement Manager at Generation Rent 

• Alen Biju: Research Officer at Generation Rent 

• Dr Nikita Simpson: Reader in Anthropology at SOAS University and Co-Director of the Centre for Anthropology and Mental Health Research in Action (CAMHRA) 

• Joe Batty: Head of Community Development at Kensington and Chelsea Social Council 

• Michaela Queensborough: Service Development Manager at Race on the Agenda and lead of Brick by Brick (racial housing injustice working group) 

• Mushtaq Khan: Chief Executive Officer at BME National 

Christabelle’s first two questions for the speakers pertained to the systemic inequalities and barriers that impact access to safe, stable, and affordable housing for Minoritised Ethic communities. Key themes and barriers identified included the precarity of renting that results in an increased risk of eviction and homelessness, racial discrimination by private landlords, income inequalities, the impact of poor mental health, and insufficient legal protection.

People from minority backgrounds are more likely to be from "lower-income households that live in overcrowded and unaffordable housing and spend a greater proportion of their income on rent, creating an increased vulnerability to eviction and homelessness”- Mushtaq Khan

Many attendees also spoke to a decline in regulation and housing services, making it increasingly difficult for minoritised communities to access support and advice.

"We've got live cases where individuals in accommodation are experiencing racism, have gone to the housing ombudsman and their private landlord, but nobody’s helping them." - Michaela Queensborough

“We don’t have proactive inspections or penalties in that area. Stronger enforcement of standards and equalities legislation is really important. The old Housing Corporation used to have good practice notes on equality and diversity, which have since been swept away.” - Mushtaq Khan

From the opening discussions emerged a consensus that to improve the housing sector, it is important to first identify and understand the policies and systems that have created this racial disparity.

 "These systems, though supposedly in place, aren’t fit for purpose and actually perpetuate state violence." - Michaela Queensborough

“It’s also important to think about policies that have created these disparities deliberately”- Christabelle Quaynor

The remainder of the roundtable focused on discussing what policy interventions are needed to reduce inequality in the housing sector and safeguard BME individuals in the rental market. Participants called for stronger enforcement and regulation of equality policies, investment in culturally sensitive local services, and greater accountability in both the social and private rental markets, among other measures.

This roundtable discussion, as part of our ten-year Horizons London Programme, will shape and inform our housing advocacy and policy work going forward.