IHURER News

Multiple Exclusion Homelessness - research results published

Three briefing papers setting out results from Institute research into Multiple Exclusion Homelessness have been published. The study ‘Multiple Exclusion Homelessness Across the UK: A Quantitative Survey’ project was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and led by Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick. It was one of four projects supported by the Multiple Exclusion Homelessness Research Programme, established in 2008 as a partnership between the ESRC, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Department for Communities and Local Government, Homeless Link and the Tenant Services Authority.

The three briefing papers cover Key Findings (briefing paper no. 1); Migrants (briefing paper no. 2) and Ex-Service Personnel (briefing paper no. 3). Further information about the project and the briefing papers is available on the MEH project webpage. [item added 28 Feb 2012]

 

 

PhD studentships

Two ESRC studentships are now available within the Urban Planning and Real Estate Pathway of the Scottish Graduate School Doctoral Training Centre. As one of the pathway's three recognised centres, Heriot-Watt is looking for applications from well-qualified individuals wishing to be considered for these studentships. 3 year or 1+3 studentships are available. The closing date for applications is 30th March 2012. Further information about the application process can be found on the postgraduate research pages http://www.sbe.hw.ac.uk/research/postgraduate/apply.htm.

If you would like to discuss this opportunity with someone, then please contact Professor Glen Bramley or Dr Caroline Brown [item added 21 Feb 2012]

 

 

Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick and US homelessness expert Professor Dennis Culhane tour Britain

US academic, Professor Dennis Culhane will be visiting the UK in early February, and speaking at events in Edinburgh, London and Cardiff. IHURER professor, Suzanne Fitzpatrick will appear at the same events - speaking about her work on homelessness in the UK and Europe. The events are as follows:

Tuesday 07 February Shelter Scotland; 'Homelessness post 2012: where next? ' at St Pauls & St George's, Edinburgh;

Thursday 09 February JRF and WISERD seminar: 'The future of homelessness policy in Wales: Learning lessons from the States and the Scots'  at the University of Cardiff and

Friday 10th February, CRISIS seminar:  'Homelessness in austere times: lessons from home and abroad' at the Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House in London. [item added 05 February 2012]

 

Latest Housing Review published

Professors Hal Pawson & Steve Wilcox have just published their latest housing review for 2011-2012. Further information about the report, with background tables and commentary articles is available on the CIH website. [item added 05 Feb 2012]

 

Research heralds new era in community empowerment

Research published this week highlights innovative thinking by some of Europe’s top landlords and propose solutions to some of the involvement issues facing the UK sector in the future.  Led by highly respected housing academic, Professor Hal Pawson of Heriot Watt University, the research compares leading practice in resident involvement in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. Specifically the research looks at existing models for resident empowerment and also explores practises for recording and measuring resident involvement and the use of rewards and incentives. The report is entitled 'Resident involvement in social housing in the UK and Europe'. [item added 02 February 2012]

 

Housing Affordability - new publications

'Housing affordability is a recurring news story, whether in relation to the scarcity of first time buyers able to enter the housing market, the regulation of mortgage lending to prevent another banking crisis, or the poverty, hardship and forced relocation of households hit simultaneously by rising cost of living and cutbacks in Housing Benefits and Allowances. Prof Glen Bramley (IHURER Director) has been studying affordability over several decades, but has recently published new research evidence which shows clearly that unaffordable housing is strongly linked to other manifestations of poverty and material hardship and to a range of housing problems such as overcrowding. These studies provide renewed support for traditional affordability norms (e.g. housing costs should not be above 25% of gross income), and is relevant to current reforms of mortgage regulation by the FSA and to policies on social housing rents, which the government is pressing to increase in England.'

Bramley (2011) 'Affordability Criteria For Mortgage Lending: Household Panel Survey Evidence And Emerging Regulations In the UK’ EMF-ENHR Seminar on Housing and Mortgage Markets, Brussels, 30th -31st of March 2011 and Bramley (2011) 'Affordability, poverty and housing need: triangulating measures and standards' Journal of Housing & the Built Environment [published version] [item added 02 February, 2012]

 

Work reveals impact of Government cuts on poor communities    

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published research exploring the impact of budget cuts on Britain's poorer communities 'Serving Deprived Communities in a Recession'. The work - which includes contributions from Professor Glen Bramley  and David Watkins - has been receiving considerable press coverage because of its stark assessment of the way in which deprived communities are being affected by government cuts. Mark Easton, BBC correspondent covered the report in his blog, as has Patrick Butler of the Guardian.  [item added 30 January 2012]

 

Professor Bramley says 'not in my back yard'

Glen Bramley  - IHURER Director -  was one of the contributing authors to the latest British Social Attitudes Survey published 7 December 2011. His work on attitudes to housing showed that: overall 45% of respondents across Britain oppose new housing locally, whilst only 30% support it, although many may concede housing is needed (only 20% assert that no new housing is needed). A press release with further details is available and the full report can be viewed through the NatCen website.

 

PhD students win ESRC internships at Scottish Government

Two of the Institute's ESRC funded PhD students have been successful in their applications for Scottish Government ESRC internships. Kathryn Gilchrist and Paul Whybrow will both be spending 3 months working at the Scottish Government, starting in the new year. Kathryn will be working on climate change behaviours and Paul will be working on Scottish Health Survey analysis. Congratulations to both students.

 

Report on homelessness prevention in Newcastle published

An evaluation report examining homelessness prevention in Newcastle has now been published. The research was carried out by staff at IHURER in conjunction with colleagues from the Department of Social Sciences at Northumbria University. The full report and executive summary are available  [item added October 28th, 2011].

 

Professor becomes Academician

Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick has become an Academician in the Academy of Social Sciences. The Academy exists to promote excellence in and encourage the advancement of the social sciences in the United Kingdom through research, education and service to the community. [item added 07 October 2011]

 

IHURER professors on the radio

Professors Colin Jones and Ya PIng Wang have both recently appeared on radio. Professor Colin Jones appeared on Radio 4's You and Yours programme on Tuesday 04 October 2011, discussing the Coalition Government's new announcements on right to buy.

Professor Ya Ping Wang was invited for an interview by China Radio International in its high profile daily programme ‘People In the Know’.  Professor Wang has long experience of researching Chinese cities, and was invited to discuss the issue of Urban Sprawl: How can we reduce the threat posed by city expansion to our living environment?

‘People In the Know is China's only high-end English radio interview program, featuring events that shape not only China, but the world as well. The program is one of China Radio International's flagship news program broadcasted every Monday to Friday. By interviewing high-profile guests both from home and abroad, the program provides CRI listeners an in-depth coverage about the hot issues in domestic and international politics, diplomacy, economy, science, technology, culture and sport.’ (CRI)

The interview was broadcasted by China Radio International on 29th September 2011, and can be heard again http://english.cri.cn/7146/2011/09/28/1942s660438.htm [item added 07 October 2011]

 

New study uncovers ‘deep roots’ of homelessness

Nearly half of people who have slept rough have a combined history of substance misuse, institutional care and street activities like begging, new research has found.

The findings come from a two year study led by Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick, which is the first to systematically reveal the extent to which homelessness amongst single adults is linked with other problems such as mental ill-health, alcohol dependency and experience of institutions such as prison. It also makes clear the challenges facing services if they are to do more to help people with multiple problems. This study is one of four funded within  Multiple Excluded Homelessness (MEH) Research Programme, supported by the Economic and Social Research Council, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Homeless Link, Communities and Local Government and the Tenants Services Authority.

Further details about the projects and their findings are available in a summary document, and details of the research launch are available from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. [item added September 20, 2011] 

 

Widespread media coverage of IHURER homelessness research  

After earlier coverage by the Guardian, the formal publication of 'The Homelessness Monitor'  by Crisis was accompanied by further coverage of the research in the press. 

'Crisis on the streets  was the lead story in Metro London and Scotland (09 September 2011). The research was also reported in the  Financial Times , the Independent, the Daily Mail, the BBC news website,  in Inside Housing,  4dash and the LocalGov website.

The press release and executive summary are available.  [Item added September 20, 2011]

  

Housing Minister responds to homelessness research in the news

An IHURER report on the homelessness impacts of policy and economic change in England hit the headlines this week, with coverage of a pre-publication draft on the Guardian front page, and also in the Telegraph, prompting a personal response by Housing Minister Grant Shapps. This report is the first of three 'Homelessness Monitor' annual reports - written by Professors Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Hal Pawson and Glen Bramley together with Professor Steve Wilcox from the University of York - and will be launched in full over the next few weeks. [Item added 01 September, 2011].

  

London Accessible Housing Register Evaluation Report Published

 The evaluation report for the London Accessible Housing Register project is now publicly available. Findings from the report include: 

• While there are an estimated 30,000 Londoners with an unmet need for wheelchair accessible housing, only around 1,100-1,200 wheelchair standard homes are let annually by London’s social landlords. 
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• Less than half of all London’s housing association lettings involving accessible homes go to households containing a wheelchair user or other disabled person 
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• Property surveys by London Accessible Housing Register (LAHR) pilot boroughs (Kensington & Chelsea and Tower Hamlets) revealed that wheelchair accessible housing accounted for less than 1% of all social landlord dwellings in these localities. However, ‘moderately accessible’ homes made up 8-11% of dwellings. 
•  
• The pilot boroughs were highly successful in refining property survey methodology and associated software, effectively laying the ground work for substantially more rapid and cost-effective AHR implementation by boroughs and housing associations subsequently following the same track. 
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• The advice and support provided by the LAHR Project Co-ordinator has been found extremely beneficial by ‘active implementer’ boroughs and there are concerns that the forthcoming expiry of this post will prejudice the development of less advanced schemes. 

The evaluation was carried out by Hal Pawson & Filip Sosenko (Heriot-Watt University) and Julia Atkins (London Metropolitan University) [item added 21 July 2011]

  

Evaluation for Glasgow Housing Association shows impact of investment in social housing 

An evaluation of GHA's £1 billion investment in Glasgow's social housing, has shown a high impact on the local and national economies, with many thousands of jobs created locally. Given the positive news contained in the report, it has been published by Glasgow Housing Association, and reported in the Herald.  The evaluation also concluded that:

• Improved energy efficiency ratings for upgraded GHA properties mean that heating these to similar standards as prior to improvement works would, on average, save GHA tenants £330 per year – a 31% saving.
• Through effective procurement, GHA’s investment programme has achieved good value for money, with achieved unit costs generally at or below those assumed in the original transfer business plan and substantially below those of comparator social landlords 
• Works procurement efficiency savings have facilitated both enhanced modernisation specifications and commissioning of originally un-programmed projects – e.g. environmental improvement schemes.
• GHA’s investment programme will have contributed to the marked rise in tenants’ ‘overall satisfaction with landlord’ between 2004 and 2009. An increase from 67% to 80% on this measure brought GHA’s rating on this measure level with or above benchmark figures for comparator landlords.
• While originally estimated as generating 3,100 jobs, the number of workers directly employed in the GHA investment programme has, in fact, totalled 4,100. Allowing for the indirect and induced impacts, the programme has generated over 9,000 jobs, with more than two thirds of these likely to have involved Glasgow residents.
• Given the ‘multiplier’ impact of capital investment on the wider economy, GHA’s £983 million capital expenditure is likely to have generated an additional £923 million in benefits to the UK (mainly the Scottish) economy. An estimated £682 million of this multiplier benefit will have remained in the Glasgow area.

The evaluation was carried out by Hal Pawson, Glen Bramley, Graeme Bowles, Caroline Brown & David Watkins at Heriot-Watt, and Jesus Canduela and Ron McQuaid at Edinburgh Napier University. [item added 21 July 2011]

 

Institute research reported in the Guardian

The Guardian newspaper reported two separate pieces of Institute research this week. On Wednesday 22 June, Professor Hal Pawson was quoted in relation to his work (with Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick) on security of tenure and the coalition government's plans to review secure tenancies (Australian warning about UK social housing plans). Hal's work also underpins Peter Hetherington's column piece on the same day, which discusses the rate at which social housing is being built in England and Scotland (Faith alone won't build council houses). This report makes use of the UK Housing Review Briefing 2011 written by Hal Pawson and Steve Wilcox.

 

UK Housing Review Briefing published

Hal Pawson & Steve Wilcox have just published a mid-year Housing Review Briefing reflecting on 12 months of Coalition Government and its plans for housing, welfar benefits and the economy. The Briefing draws on recently released statistics to discuss the implications of recent policy and market changes on: housing demand and supply; affordability; housing market prospects; and the prospects for low income households.  The Briefing was launched at the Chartered Institute for Housing Annual Conference in Harrogate, June 21, 2011.

Read the briefing in full. The briefing is also available through the Chartered Institute of Housing.

 

IHURER Professors visit China

Professors Suzanne Fitzpatrick and Ya Ping Wang visited Beijing and Hong Kong recently. In Beijing, they helped to organise an international symposium on 'Social and Affordable Housing Policy and Provision’ at Tsinghua University, (7-10 June). Suzanne then spent a week as a visiting scholar at the University of Hong Kong, in the Department of Urban Planning and Design. She gave a public lecture during her visit entitled: ‘Public Rented Housing in Seven Countries: Contrasting Models and their Implications for Tenants’ Rights”

The symposium at Tsinghua University was jointly funded by the International Journal of Housing Policy where Professor Fitzpatrick is Editor-in-Chief and Professor Wang is a member of the International Advisory Committee. The symposium aimed to contribute to housing policy development in China and other Asian countries and to promote housing policy studies in China by encouraging the younger generation of housing researchers. There are plans for a Chinese language volume arising from the symposium, edited jointly by Professors Wang and Fitzpatrick and a colleague from Tsinghua University.     

 

New Honorary Professors confirmed

David Simmonds and David Hunter have both been confirmed as new Honorary Professors associated with IHURER.

David Simmonds is known best for his work on transport accessibility and modelling, and has directed a wide range of projects including forecasts used in public inquiries for Edinburgh Congestion Charging and the M74 completion. He has also been responsible for a numerous other studies including contributions to the 1999 SACTRA report on Transport and the Economy. 

David Hunter is an international property consultant, based in Glasgow. David set up Hunter Advisers in 2005, specialising in supporting the creation, operation and liquidation of property funds and companies. His background is as a leading fund manager, originally with Scottish Amicable and ultimately as Managing Director of Aberdeen Asset Management’s £6.5bn UK and international property fund business. He was President of the British Property Federation in 2004, and had a leading role in the introduction of REITs to the UK.

 

New report raises doubts about government plans for fixed-term tenancies in England

An international review of security of tenure arrangements in six countries has found that that less than 1% of fixed-term social tenancies in Australia (New South Wales) reviewed to date have been terminated. The review also found that supplementary rents are potentially problematic, having been discontinued in most parts of Germany because of the high administrative burden of implementation and concerns about undermining ‘social mix’. This review by Suzanne Fitzpatrick and Hal Pawson was commissioned by Shelter in light of government proposals to introduce fixed-term social tenancies in England. The review investigated arrangements in six countries where security of tenure is already limited for social tenants or ‘misdirected subsidies’ are recouped from better-off social tenants.

Prof Fitzpatrick commented:

'The Australian (NSW) experience calls into question the efficacy of the policy now proposed in England, given that so few of their fixed-term tenancies have been terminated. This means that this approach generates very few additional vacancies and raises serious concerns about work disincentives.'

Read the report in full.

 

Institute launch & inaugural lecture success

The Institute for Housing, Urban & Real Estate Research was launched at a successful event on 4 May 2011 on the occasion of Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick's inaugural lecture.

An audience of academics, policy and voluntary sector representatives joined staff and students to hear presentations from Professors Glen Bramley (Director), Colin Jones and Hal Pawson. This was followed by a stimulating and challenging lecture from Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick on homelessness and the Scottish model of rights.

View the lecture slides or read more about Suzanne's work on this subject:

Fitzpatrick, S. & Watts, B. (2011) ‘The ‘Right to Housing’ for homeless people’, in E. O’Sullivan et al. (Eds), Homelessness Research in Europe. Brussels: FEANTSA.

Fitzpatrick, S. & Pleace, N. (forthcoming 2012) ‘The statutory homelessness system in England: a fair and effective rights-based model?’, Housing Studies

Bengtsson, B., Fitzpatrick, S and Watts, B. (forthcoming 2011) ‘Shelter, rights and citizenship’, in S. Smith (Editor-in-Chief) International Encyclopaedia of Housing and Home. Oxford: Elsevier .

Media appearances

Professor Hal Pawson appeared on Panorama (04 May 2011). He was talking about housing policy and right-to-buy in a programme examining the current situation in council housing in the UK.

Additionally, Professor Colin Jones was on the Radio 5 Live Breakfast Show on 26 April talking to Shelagh Fogarty about the right-to-buy.

 

Honorary Professors and Research Fellows appointed

The Institute for Housing, Urban & Real Estate Research has recently appointed 1 Honorary Professor and 6 Honorary Research Fellows. The appointments formalise and recognise the Institute’s relationship with these individuals, cementing on-going national and international collaborations. The appointments have been made for 3 years, until 2014.

The new Honorary members of the Institute are as follows:

• Professor Bo Bengtsson from Uppsala University, Sweden
• Dr Volker Busch-Geertsema, Senior Research Fellow, Association for Innovative Social Research and Social Planning (GISS, Bremen, Germany)
• Dr Kath Hulse, Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
• Ms Mandy Littlewood, independent housing researcher, Scotland
• Dr Jim McCormick, independent policy adviser and Scotland Adviser to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)
• Dr Vivienne Milligan, Associate Professor in the City Futures Research Centre, University of New South Wales
• Dr Ed Trevillion, Head of Property Research at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP), Edinburgh