UK Asylum Seekers Refused Housing Over 'Social Cohesion Issues'

Some asylum seekers have been banned from accommodation in north-east England because of “social cohesion issues” and far-right activity, a move lawyers have described as “discriminatory”. Details of the ban emerged in a note from the Home Office to an asylum seeker’s solicitor, in which the department said that it had an agreement with local authorities in that region not to house any “foreign nationals with known criminality”. However, sources close to Home Office contractors providing asylum accommodation in the region said that some councils refused their requests to house any asylum seekers because of local far-right activity. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/27/uk-asylum-seekers-refused-housing-over-social-cohesion-issues

White Working Class Feel They Are 'Last In Line' For Social Housing

White working-class residents feel they are losing out to minorities and new migrants when it comes to the allocation of social housing a new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has found. The project looked at the concept of community cohesion by considering the views of white working-class communities in three different neighbourhoods in England: Aston (Birmingham), Canley (Coventry) and Somers Town (London). The research found that many residents felt they had been "unfairly treated" by government, especially in terms of allocation to social housing. They felt that housing organisations rewarded groups who did not appear to add anything positive to neighbourhoods. Download the report from the JRF website.

Participation & Community on Bradford’s Traditionally White Estates

How residents on two traditionally white estates understand their communities and participate within them, with the emphasis on residents' own views.
The research focused on two estates which have become socially fragmented internally, and stigmatised by wider society. The study reveals:
*the active role many residents play in improving their estates, and the pressures they face as a result;
*the value of working with local residents to create solutions;
*tensions where people feel abandoned and seen as the 'lowest of the low';
*frustrations about public consultations; and
*urgent concerns about inadequate opportunities for young people.
Download a copy from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website.

Housing Policy Should Help Cohesion

Policy makers should place more emphasis on community cohesion when making decisions on housing, the government has said. The CLG community cohesion guidance encourages councils to take account of how cohesion in housing, planning and regeneration policies will ensure different groups get on well together in the community. ‘Large social housing estates or swathes of expensive properties will shape the local population,’ it states. ‘An emerging issue is the growth of houses of multiple occupancy in some areas.’ It also suggests information on levels of crime and anti-social behaviour and the strength of the local economy are recorded. Find the guidance on the CLG website.

Housing Our Ageing Population Panel For Innovation

The Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation (HAPPI) has gathered good practice from across Europe and put together new and creative proposals for housing for older people. HAPPI was commissioned by CLG to set up the innovation panel. The panel spoke to housing experts before embarking on a period of research visiting schemes and meeting residents over summer 2009. The panel has now reported to government with recommendations to help ensure that future housing will create sustainable and inclusive homes and neighbourhoods which our ageing population want and can afford to live in.Read the recommendations and find a download link for either the full report or a summary by clicking on the HCA logo below.