In the UK right now, racism and discrimination in our society, services and systems contribute to people’s homelessness. The data is undeniable, and we see examples of it in the experiences of people who turn to us for support.  

 

This research, shaped by a panel of Experts by Experience, uncovers the human stories behind the statistics that draw a direct link between race and homelessness. These real-life accounts show us how racism and discrimination can negatively impact every area of a person’s life – preventing them from finding a home, a job or accessing healthcare.  

 

Read the blog about the findings

 

Key Findings 

Drawing on the testimonies of 58 people in England, Scotland and Wales who had experience of racism and homelessness, our report describes how: 

• Racism and discrimination affect people’s relationships with society, institutions and services. This can make people feel like they can’t go to services for support – the very services that are set up to help them.  

• Racism and discrimination add to the pressures that cause homelessness. Interviewees talked about how racism led to: 

• being locked into poverty, because of long-standing and deeply ingrained inequalities 

• being discriminated against by landlords 

• having negative experiences with the police and criminal justice system 

• receiving inadequate medical treatment for physical and mental health issues.  

• People of colour use community, activism, family, faith and education to help navigate the challenges they face. For some, the isolating effects of racism and homelessness have made these resources unreachable. 

 

From Experts by Experience: 

“This research is important as there have been few studies highlighting the links between race, ethnicity, and housing inequality. By shining a light on the challenges faced by these communities we can make systems and organisations better through better practices. If bad practice is allowed to flourish, it can affect everyone, and maintain systems of oppression. Best practice means making the system better for all.” – Dani 

 

“This research is a much-needed project where people with lived experiences of racism and homelessness have some power to shape understandings and research about racism and homelessness. Listen to the participants. Listen to people with lived experience of racism and homelessness. There should be more work like this that is both participatory and moves us all towards action.”  Si Long 

 

From other organisations: 

“The report addresses a critical gap in understanding the challenges faced by Black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities, who are disproportionately affected by homelessness. It highlights the unique struggles experienced by women, people with disabilities, and individuals with uncertain immigration status. We welcome the report’s connection to broader issues such as systemic racism, poverty, and unemployment, and how these factors impact people’s lives through their firsthand experiences. Immediate attention and action are needed to tackle these persistent inequalities in homelessness.” - Tracey Bignall, Director of Policy & Engagement, Race Equality Foundation 

  

“This report highlights the desperately pervasive and persistent forms of racism that blight the lives of so many people, families and households of colour in their housing experiences. Perhaps most telling is that not only is this disproportionality induced by institutional racism embedded in systems, but by active and intentional policies that push people of colour into the horrors of homelessness.  

"The report shares the horrors of precarity and powerlessness experienced by people of colour at the sharpest end of this crisis. We urge the new government to put anti-racist and wider equality principles at the heart of their forthcoming cross-governmental homelessness strategy.” – Dr Shabna Begum, CEO, Runnymede Trust 

 

Content warning: This report features direct, unfiltered quotations from people about their own experience, which refer to overt and implicit racism, including physical and verbal attacks and racial slurs, as well as sexual assault and drug/alcohol abuse. Readers who may find the content distressing, so please take to support your own wellbeing before and while reading the report. 

 

Reference: 

Allard, M., D’Souza, S., and Leith, G. (2024). ‘Where do I belong, where is home?’: Experiences of racism and homelessness. London: Crisis