Housing needs of minority ethnic groups: evidence review

5. Conclusions 

This report has provided an overview of minority ethnic groups in Scotland and has sought to assess the existing evidence base on their housing needs and experiences. From this, several patterns emerged across the literature with relevance to the research questions. This concluding chapter summarises these themes by research question.

5.1 RQ1: What are the trends in housing for minority ethnic groups?

Multiple trends in housing for minority ethnic groups were present across the literature. The household composition and characteristics of minority ethnic households varied in a number of key ways compared to white Scottish/British households. Minority ethnic HIH households were more likely to be living in the PRS than white Scottish/British HIH households, and on the whole, minority ethnic HIH households were less likely to be living in the social rented sector or in owner occupation. Households with an 'African' HIH were a notable exception, where the majority of households were found in the social rented sector. 

High levels of poverty and deprivation were an issue for some minority ethnic groups, where evidence indicates that people from minority ethnic groups were more likely to be living in relative poverty after housing costs than people from the white Scottish/British group. However, there was no significant difference between rates of fuel poverty for minority ethnic and white Scottish/British HIH households. Households where the HIH was from some ethnic groups, such as 'African', 'White: Polish' and 'Other ethnic', were much more likely to be living in some of the most deprived areas in Scotland than white Scottish/British HIH households. 

There is evidence that a sizeable proportion of the population hold prejudiced attitudes towards people from a minority ethnic background and that minority ethnic groups face appreciable levels of discrimination and harassment. These experiences of discrimination and harassment were shown in a number of studies to play a key role in housing decisions.

5.2 RQ2: What are the specific housing experiences of minority ethnic groups?

Secondary analysis of the SHCS found that minority ethnic HIH households have mixed outcomes on key housing condition indicators compared to white Scottish/British HIH households, with some results showing similar outcomes and other results showing slight differences. A higher proportion of minority ethnic HIH households were living in housing with a higher EPC rating than white Scottish/British HIH households, while outcomes for both groups were found to be statisitcally similar in terms of fuel poverty. However, there were indications that occupancy levels in minority ethnic HIH households were much higher than in white Scottish/British HIH households and as a consequence, these households were more likely to be overcrowded. 

Poorer house condition was suggested by several studies in the literature as a possible implication of living in the PRS. Secondary analysis of the SHCS indicates that although there is no difference in rates of disrepair between minority ethnic HIH households and white Scottish / British HIH households within any individual tenure, there is a difference for both groups in rates of disrepair between the PRS and owner occupied sectors, with the PRS having significantly higher rates of disrepair. The higher rates of disrepair in the PRS combined with the higher prevalence of PRS tenure for minority ethnic households is likely to contribute to the higher rates of disrepair found amongst minority ethnic HIH households overall. 

A few studies reported that, due to over-representation of some ethnic groups in the PRS, the relatively higher rents in this sector may be a negative consequence for those groups. There was also evidence that some minority ethnic groups were more likely to find it difficult to find a place to rent and often paid a higher proportion of their income towards housing costs.

For those groups that tended to have larger families, with 3 or more dependent children, or engaged in extended family living, a lack of affordable large properties in the PRS often meant living in housing which didn't meet their need for space. 

For some ethnic groups, the risk of experiencing homelessness may be higher. Factors that increased the risk of experiencing homelessness were experiences of domestic abuse and recent arrival in the country. Although it is clear multiple factors are likely to play a part in homelessness risk and experience.

5.3 RQ3: What barriers, if any, do minority ethnic groups face in finding and securing housing in Scotland? 

Evidence from the literature identified a number of barriers limiting minority ethnic groups in finding and securing housing. In the PRS, experiences of discrimination by landlords or agents and a lack of affordable accommodation restricted access to private renting. The experience, or fear, of racial harassment was reported by some minority ethnic HIH households in the social rented sector. These experiences and fears influenced housing decisions and impacted on the attractiveness of the sector, with some reporting difficulty in finding social housing in areas perceived to be free from racial harassment. Several barriers around access to housing services were identified, which led to low levels of uptake and use of mainstream services. These include: 

• language difficulties;
• low levels of awareness of services;
• a lack of knowledge around what support is provided;
• a lack of cultural awareness within mainstream services;
• the fear or experience of racism

5.4 RQ4: To what extent does ethnicity interact with other protected characteristics and how does this affect housing experiences and outcomes?

Studies show that minority ethnic women and older people face particular challenges in accessing and securing housing. For  minority ethnic women, isolation, language difficulties and experiences of racism, may increase their risk of experiencing homelessness or prevent them from escaping domestic abuse. With regards to older people, a lack of language skills, low awareness of housing services and mobility issues often left them in accommodation which was unsuitable and did not fully meet their needs. 

5.5 RQ5: What are the specific housing needs of minority ethnic groups, in terms of tenure, quality and size etc?

The minority ethnic population in Scotland is not a homogenous group and each ethnic group has differing practical and cultural needs, which often vary from white Scottish/British households. Evidence suggests that, in respect of tenure, the PRS can offer greater flexibility and choice for some minority ethnic groups. For others, private renting has become the only viable option, due to the inability of social housing to meet their needs, in terms of size of property, location and safety from racial harassment, and the relative inaccessibility of owner occupation. 

Participants reported that location and approriately sized accommodation, to accommodate larger family sizes and extended family living, were particularly important for some minority ethnic groups. For all groups, the anticipation and experience of racial harassment, particularly in social housing, was a major factor in housing decisions. The ability of the home to be modified over time, as people age, was seen to be important for older people.

5.6 RQ6: To what extent are the specific housing needs of minority ethnic groups currently being met?

There are indications that the specific housing needs of some minority ethnic groups are not being fully met. Secondary analysis of SHCS data shows that on key housing condition indicators, some outcomes for minority ethnic HIH households are similar, while other results show slight differences when compared to white Scottish/British HIH households. However, in terms of energy efficiency, outcomes in some cases are slightly better. There is evidence that a higher proportion of minority ethnic HIH households had some level of disrepair to the dwelling and overcrowding for minority ethnic HIH households was a particular issue. This is likely due to higher rates of disrepair in the PRS combined with the higher prevalence of minority ethnic households in this tenure. This accords with some older qualitative studies, which found evidence of low quality housing, including unsafe living conditions, poor furnishings and inadequate heating. There is also suggestion in the literature of over-representation in homelessness statistics. However, without current population data the extent of this is uncertain. 

5.7 RQ7: What is being done, and what more can be done, to meet the specific housing needs of minority ethnic groups?

There is very little in the literature that directly addresses this question. The selected case studies offer some examples of good practice but there were few studies in the literature which evaluated the extent to which organisations have mainstreamed equality or how poor housing outcomes were being addressed. Further, without comprehensive data over time, it is difficult to evaluate whether the housing experiences and outcomes of minority ethnic groups have changed. 

5.8 RQ8: What impact has the new private residential tenancy (PRT) had on minority ethnic tenants in the PRS? 

There is not enough evidence to assess the impact that the new PRT has had on minority ethnic tenants. Indeed, many tenants may not yet have moved to the PRT. Evidence from one study suggests that minority ethnic tenants are less confident in dealing with disputes and less likely to challenge their landlord than white tenants.