How racism causes homelessness

Homelessness isn’t just a housing issue; it’s a racial one, too.

Racism and homelessness are intertwined, disproportionately affecting black and ethnic minority people in the UK. Black and ethnic minority people face challenges that raise their risk of poverty and of finding a place to call home.

The numbers don’t lie

• Black people are three times more likely to be homeless than white people in England. And five times more likely in London.
• 11% of homeless people applying for support are black, yet they make up 3% of households in England.
• Black and ethnic minority people are three to five times more likely to face discrimination when looking for a home.
• 1 in 23 black households in England will become, or are, homeless versus 1 in 83 for all other ethnic groups.
• Five of London’s ten most ethnically diverse local authorities have significantly higher eviction rates than the ten least diverse local authorities.

*The graph shows that black and Asian people are far more likely to be denied the right to a safe and secure home.

Where a third (33%) of white households fell into this category; for those from a mixed ethnic background and Asian households, this was half (49%); for black households, this was more than half (56%).

Historical housing policy

Racist policies and practices from years ago still have an impact today. These past injustices continue to drive racism and homelessness.

Post-war

After World War II, many black and ethnic minority families migrating to the UK were refused housing or “steered” to lower-quality social housing due to their skin colour. Those who couldn’t access social housing were moved to poor-quality urban areas. Many of these homes have not had the investment needed to this day, and generations later, black and ethnic minority families are still living in these neglected areas.

Right to Buy

In the 1980s, the Right to Buy policy was introduced to boost homeownership. It allows people to buy council homes at a discounted rate. But instead of increasing homeownership for all, it favoured white people who were more likely to have the income to buy their homes.

The impact of this is being seen today:

1. As house prices from the scheme have risen, a wealth gap has formed. On average, white families have eight times more wealth than black families—often due to being homeowners. This wealth gap makes it hard for black families to pass down wealth and climb the housing ladder. Today, homeownership rates are the lowest for black people.
2. The Right to Buy scheme has cut social housing stock and increased reliance on housing benefits and the private rental market. This has driven up rental prices and hit black people harder. They are three times more likely to rent privately than white people and, in turn, more likely to receive a Section 21 eviction.
3. The Government has not built enough new social housing to replace homes lost to the Right to Buy scheme, and black people are feeling the effects. They are three times more likely to rely on social housing than white people.

Current policies

Even today, some housing policies contribute to racism and homelessness by discriminating against black and ethnic minority people, making it harder for them to find and keep their home.

Right to Rent

The 2014 Right to Rent law requires landlords to check new tenants’ immigration status. Failing to do so could result in huge fines or prison. This has meant landlords often opt to rent to white people with British passports, as it is a lower risk.

The Court of Appeal said this policy is discriminatory. It makes it harder for black and ethnic minority people to rent a home than white people. This policy has made 44% of people who make letting decisions less likely to rent to families that “appear to be immigrants”. It could take black and ethnic minority people up to twice as long to find a rental property as a white person.

No Resource to Public Funds

No Recourse to Public Funds blocks non-UK nationals from claiming benefits, even if they have lived here for years.

Migrants allowed to stay in the UK for a specific time, or those with UK immigration status, cannot access homelessness support or most welfare benefits. So, if you cannot work, you will have no money or way to pay rent, even if you find a house.

If you move to the UK for work, then lose your job and have no recourse to public funds, homelessness could be the next. Many people with no recourse to public funds skip meals, rely on food banks, and face rising debt.

Our client, Celal, fell into homelessness during the pandemic after having no recourse to public funds despite living, working, and paying taxes in the UK for years.

Broader societal issues

Black and ethnic minority people are more likely to face racism in their everyday lives, which can, in turn, increase their chance of homelessness.

1. Poverty: In the UK, black and ethnic minority people are over twice as likely as white people to be in “deep poverty” and at risk of homelessness.
2. Employment: Black people face more discrimination in job searches and promotions. In fact, black people are half as likely to hold managerial and senior roles as the wider workforce.
3. Prison: Black people are more likely to be imprisoned and get longer sentences than white people for the same crime. Prison stays can lead to homelessness. Many people released from prison have nowhere to go and no support, creating a hard-to-break cycle. This creates a hard-to-break cycle.

What can we do?

Ending systemic racism requires long-term collective action from everyone. Inequality stems from history, policies, and social welfare. We need to change things for the better.

BME housing associations, formed in the 1980s, have improved housing access for marginalised people. But we still have a long way to go. We must improve diversity in the homelessness sector, especially among senior leaders. They can use their experiences to tackle the barriers that marginalised people face when accessing housing and work.

At Single Homeless Project, our expert teams work hard to fix housing inequalities. We help our black and ethnic minority clients with complex housing and immigration processes.

Our staff-led Black and Minority Ethnic Network promotes equality. It helps us improve our charity work to support our ethnic minority staff and Londoners facing homelessness.

Everyone deserves a safe, secure, and affordable place to call home.