Professor Andrea Williamson, University of Glasgow

Applying a ‘missingness’ lens to healthcare for inclusion health populations

‘Missingness’ in health care is the ‘repeated tendency not to take up offers of care such that it has a negative impact on the person and their life chances’. Recent whole population Scottish epidemiological work has shown shocking associated mortality. In current NIHR funded research we have explored the causes of missingness by publishing a realist review and conducting interviews with 60 experts by experience of missingness, and professionals. Andrea Williamson Professor of General Practice and Inclusion Health at the University of Glasgow presents this work and outline progress in developing a set of interventions to address missingness and consider the importance of this work for Inclusion Health settings; like homelessness health. Watch again now

Watch again as Dr David Christie presents the findings of his recent PhD

New Labour and Street Homelessness 1997- 2010 A successful social policy initiative: Lessons to be learned.

Between 1997 and 2010 New Labour enacted a series of policy interventions in street homeless that were highly successful in dramatically reducing the number of people sleeping rough and helping people permanently resettle away from the street. This success stems primarily from aspects of New Labour’s approach to governance – a commitment to address issues of social exclusion, joined-up government, modernisation, and the empowerment of the third sector. Most significant of all, rough sleeping was given a high priority with strong support from the very centre of government. Two new bodies performed crucial roles in reducing rough sleeping: The Social Exclusion Unit (SEU), and the Homeless Persons Unit (HPU). Both bodies were recipients of significant prime ministerial patronage which gave them the necessary leverage to ensure cross-departmental cooperation. The make-up of both bodies was also crucial. The HPU drove through significant changes in working practice that energised the voluntary sector and directly led to a dramatic reduction in rough sleeping. In its second and third terms, New Labour focused on long term support, individual empowerment and homelessness prevention. Key were the Homelessness Act 2002, which transformed local authorities’ approach to single homeless people, and the Supporting People programme that provided a proper funding base to the homelessness sector enabling the development of long-term, holistic support.

Labour’s modernisation programme left a legacy of a much more professionalised homeless sector, both organisationally and managerially, and whose staff’s skill-set was vastly improved with significant advances in trauma-informed care and the mainstreaming of user empowerment. Although much has been lost in subsequent cuts, New Labour developed a successful model for addressing street homelessness that could easily be resuscitated.

Dr Fran Calvo, Heriot Watt University Visiting scholar from the University of Girona  

Smoking amongst people experiencing homelessness

People experiencing homelessness exhibit high rates of drug use and diagnosed substance dependencies. There is extensive scientific evidence at the international level supporting this assertion, derived from self-reported data by people experiencing homelessness, specific scales that determine problems associated with drug use, and clinical records of mental health diagnoses conducted by clinical professionals. A curious fact is the position that smoking typically occupies in research on substance dependencies among the homeless population. This seminar reflects on the role of smoking in the health care process for people experiencing homelessness and the consequences that neglecting this phenomenon can have on their overall health. Watch again

Watch here  the insightful seminar from I-SPHERE’s own Dr Beth Watts-Cobb and Professor Hal Pawson of the University of New South Wales that was organised by Homelessness Australia in partnership with the UNSW City Futures Research Centre.

Homelessness Prevention in England

For our June seminar, I-SPHERE’s Director Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick and Professor Peter Mackie of Cardiff University teamed up to provide insight from their research on homelessness prevention. They will draw on their work on typology, legislation, working upstream in schools, and emerging findings of their national study for Homeless Link on homelessness prevention activities in England. Watch again

Finding a home online: Platform interfaces and discrimination in the private rented sector

Dr Jed Meers is a Senior Lecturer at York Law School, University of York  where is co-Director of the Administrative Fairness Lab.

Watch again as Jed explores discrimination on online rental platforms. Accessing the private rented sector is now an almost exclusively online activity. In the UK 96% of renters found their property from one of the four leading online rental platforms: Rightmove, SpareRoom, Zoopla or Gumtree. How the interfaces of these platforms are designed can impact on access to the private rented sector and facilitate (or minimise) discrimination against users. Using examples of platform design and an analysis of listings on a leading rental platform before-and-after changes to its interface, the paper reveals that even minor design alterations can significantly influence market accessibility for recipients of housing benefit. The seminar offers insights into combating discrimination in the digital rental market and went onto discuss directions for further research on online rental platforms.

Hard Edges: The reality for women affected by severe and multiple disadvantage

Watch again as Professor Sarah Johnsen presents the hard hitting findings of our Hard Edges research for the Oak Foundation on The Reality for Women Affected by Severe and Multiple Disadvantage – I-SPHERE (hw.ac.uk)

Understanding Migrant Destitution in the UK: Emerging learning from a survey of local authorities

Jacqueline Broadhead from the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), Oxford University, presents initial findings from research on Understanding Migrant Destitution in the UK. No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) is an immigration condition prohibiting access to the welfare safety net. This project will provide an evidence base on support for precarious migrants – those living in and at risk of destitution. 

https://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/project/understanding-migrant-destitution-in-the-uk/

View the seminar again here

We are absolutely delighted to share the findings of research from our last two research interns, Christiana (Roni) and Ionut on issues of race and homelessness in the UK that you can watch again here.

Our interns are funded by the Oak Foundation as part of our Homelessness and Black and Minoritised Ethnic Communities in the UK – Knowledge and Capacity Building Programme – I-SPHERE (hw.ac.uk)

The seminar presents findings from two distinct research projects.

Firstly Christiana Ajai-Thomas sets out the findings of her recent study conducted with young black people in London with lived experience of homelessness. Christiana explores the young people’s routes into homelessness, their experiences of different forms of homelessness within the context of the London Housing crisis and their experiences of statutory and wider services and considers these against the theory of place and placelessness.

Secondly Dr Ionut Cioarta presents his research on the Phenomenon of Roma Homelessness in the UK. Ionut’s research was published last year and provides important insights on housing issues facing Roma people based on interviews with stakeholders and people with lived experience in two case study areas – Luton and Govan, Glasgow. His research found evidence of significant inequality and examples of discrimination and set out recommendations for stakeholders to improve how they work with Roma people. You can read the report here