A new report from Heriot-Watt University demonstrates extreme ethnic disparities in homelessness risks in the UK: Homelessness amongst Black and minoritised ethnic communities in the UK (November 2022). Moreover, this is not a new situation but echoes major studies carried out two decades ago and earlier. Despite this, there has been little focus on the ethnic dimension of homelessness in research or policy over this period. Following the Black Lives Matter movement, there has been an explosion of interest in ethnic inequalities, but relatively little of this has so far focused on housing or homelessness.

We used an inclusive approach to the definition of homelessness, distinguishing four categories:

The report, which draws on 10 statistical data sources and was supported by Oak Foundation, found that people from Black and Mixed ethnic backgrounds experience the highest homelessness risk, particularly of statutory and core homelessness, with prevalence rates that are three-and-a-half times that for White UK-born people. While Asian people as a whole are relatively less likely to experience these forms of homelessness, Pakistani and Bangladeshi people face greater risks than Indian, Chinese and other Asian communities. There are geographical differences in the extent of these ethnic disparities, with London showing more extreme racial disparities, while in Scotland there is little ethnic disparity in homelessness risks.

Evidence on the wider ‘hidden homelessness’ forms shows a more adverse picture for Asian-led households, with overcrowding rates more than four times that for White UK-born households, and similar affordability-problem rates for Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black households. Asian-led households are also twice as likely as White UK-led households to share with other households or to contain a concealed household.

Newly-available survey evidence shows that experiences of discrimination, harassment or abuse on grounds of race or ethnicity appear to be associated with elevated risks of homelessness, particularly for Black people (a third of whom report discrimination from social or private landlords).

In 2021, an official government report (the Sewell report)1Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities: the report, March 2021. argued that ethnic disparities in outcomes in education, health and other areas predominantly reflected factors other than racism or discrimination, but it didn’t cover housing and homelessness. Our new statistical analyses show that ethnicity, migration background and discrimination do increase homelessness risks, particularly for Black, Mixed and Other groups as well as Pakistani and Bangladeshi people, even after allowing for a wide range of other factors.

Furthermore, there are important indirect routes by which ethnicity and discrimination-related factors impact on homelessness risks. These include increased exposure to poverty and being a renter rather than an owner. Once these indirect effects are accounted for, the relative risk for Black-led households in particular is generally found to be substantially larger.

The next stages of our research will focus on the situation of particular ethnic groups, with quantitative analyses accompanied by qualitative ‘deep dives’ into the experiences of specific groups in different contexts.