Muslim housing experiences - The Guardian

A research report for the Housing Corporation September 2004

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Muslimhousingexperiences

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Muslim housing experiencesA research report for the Housing Corporationby Patricia SellickOxford Centre for Islamic Studies© 2004 Housing CorporationISBN: 1 84111 079 5

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The research would not have been possible without the activeinvolvement and assistance of many individuals in Kirklees, LB Hackney and Oxford. The author is particularly grateful tothe North London Muslim Housing Association, Sadeh Lok, andthe Oxford Citizens Housing Association for their cooperation.Special thanks are also due to the Muslim tenants who gave uptheir time and talked so openly about their situation.

Muslimhousing

experiencesPrepared by Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies

Research Co-ordinator: Patricia Sellick

Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies

MUSLIM HOUSING EXPERIENCES

CONTENTS

Foreword from the Housing Corporation 1

Foreword from the Oxford Centre forIslamic Studies 2

Executive summary 3

Introduction 5

The Muslim population of England and Wales 7

Case studies 16

Conclusions and recommendations 32

Select bibliography 36


Foreword from the Housing Corporation

The Housing Corporation supported this project by the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies aspart of our longstanding interest in the relationship between religion and housing needs andaspirations. It builds on a series of reviews to which we have contributed funding, notablyNorth London Muslim Housing Association’s report on Housing plus needs of the youngMuslims in Hackney (2001) and Understanding the housing needs and aspirations of Muslimcommunities: a case study of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (2004), AgudasIsrael’s Orthodox Jewish housing need in Stamford Hill (2001) and the Institute for Jewish PolicyResearch’s Long-term planning for British Jewry (2003).

Over the past half-century or so, a large body of literature has been developed on both sides ofthe Atlantic on race and ethnicity and there is now a strong intellectual framework forinvestigating the ethnic dimensions of service delivery, community aspirations, discrimination,etc. The Housing Corporation has taken a leading role in relating these issues to the debate onhousing and integrating good practice into its regulatory and investment policies.

There is no such framework for considering the implications of faith for service providers,employers or communities. The census did not ask about religion before 2001. The EuropeanUnion Employment Directive’s requirements on religion did not come into force until lastDecember and little work has been done on the issues it raises for employers and the servicesthey provide. As Patricia Sellick, the author of the current report, remarks, ‘This is unchartedterritory.’

We believe her report is the first to carry out an in-depth analysis of the 2001 census questionon religion in the context of religion, cutting across the more familiar lines of ethnicity. Sheraises important questions of concern to housing providers. She discusses identity and warnsagainst the dangers of treating faith communities as monolithic blocks. She highlightsovercrowding among particular Muslim communities, but also points out the increasingnumbers of Muslim lone parents and single-person households. She reinforces the concernraised in the Corporation’s earlier research on the Somali community that some communitiessuch as Somalis are often hidden within the broad categories of both faith and ethnicity.* Shemakes some significant recommendations about design features which take account of Muslimsensibilities and requirements.

The findings of this study should make a practical difference to the ways in which Muslimcommunities and housing service providers engage with each other and raises questions whichwe need to pursue about the relevance of faith to the planning and delivery of services.

David CheesmanHead of Policy Research and StatisticsHousing Corporation

1

* Ian Cole and David Robinson, Somali housing experiences in England, 2003


Foreword from the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies

The research, presented here on behalf of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, was co-sponsored by the Housing Corporation through an Innovation and Good Practice grant. It ismy pleasure to acknowledge that, without the Housing Corporation’s interest in and activesupport of the project, it could not have been carried through successfully.

The findings and argument recorded here are important for a number of reasons. Firstly,Patricia Sellick’s research replaces presumptions about the housing conditions of Muslimsresident in England and Wales with objective data. The data became accessible as a result ofthe inclusion in the 2001 census of a question about religious identity. It will surprise mostreaders that there are Muslims resident in all local authorities in England and Wales, not just inthe in bigger cities; that a substantial percentage are buying or own outright the property theylive in; that, even so, relatively to the majority population, too high a percentage live in areasof disadvantage, with young children particularly vulnerable to poverty and over-crowding.Secondly, the report sets statistical data about Muslims beside the same data for the majoritypopulation. This makes it possible to weigh evidence of similarities and differences for keymeasures such as access to social housing. Thirdly, by combining the data from the censusreturns with case-studies of three local authorities, further strengthened by personal interviewswith providers and recipients of housing services, the report gives particular and concrete form,and on occasion very poignant voice, to the necessarily abstract argument conveyed throughstatistics. Fourthly, analysis of the data reveals trends within different sectors of the Muslimpopulation: for example, the report observes an increase in smaller households, lone parentfamilies and individuals living alone; and a consistent preference among Muslims to reside inmixed (rather than Muslim-only) neighbourhoods, provided security and access to amenitiessuch as mosques are adequate. In the light of such observations, housing and communityservice provision for Muslims can be modified to answer their cultural as well as their moreobvious material needs.

Finally, this report is important because, in a period of heightened sensitivities on all sides, itcontributes to the undoing of some of the ignorance and prejudice about Muslims in the UK.Prejudice must be combated because it feeds upon and empowers intolerance. It is our hopethat this report will lead to broader studies that make the experiences and histories of Britain’sMuslims known to the majority population. If people can get to know each other, suchdifferences as there are between them can be reciprocally negotiated and managed — insteadof being exaggerated and manipulated into mistrust and hostility.

Farhan Ahmad NizamiDirectorOxford Centre for Islamic Studies

2


Executive summary by the Housing Corporation

This report takes the 2001 Census as the starting point for an investigation of the significanceof religious identity for individuals’ housing experiences and aspirations. For the first time, the2001 Census included a question about religious identity, providing an opportunity to explorethe relationship between faith and community in the context of social housing. The reportfocuses on Muslims for three reasons:

■ They make up the largest minority faith group — more than 1.5 million people in Englandand Wales, or 2.97% of the population, described themselves as Muslim.1

■ Earlier research has consistently shown that two predominantly Muslim ethnic groups —people of Bangladeshi and Pakistani origin — are disproportionately disadvantaged sociallyand economically, and in terms of housing. A recent study by the Housing Corporationhighlighted the poor housing experiences of a smaller, hidden Muslim population, theSomalis.

■ Many communities which are new to Britain, especially those accepted as refugees orasylum applicants, are predominantly Muslim and there is little information about theirneeds and aspirations.

The report presents an overview of the Muslim population in Britain, illustrated with casestudies from Hackney, Kirklees and Oxford. The areas were selected to provide insights into arange of housing market conditions and different community profiles.

The main findings are:

■ There are Muslim people in all local authorities in England and Wales except the Scilly Isles,ranging from 71,389 people in Tower Hamlets (36% of the population) to ten people inBerwick-upon-Tweed.

■ Muslims are a diverse population. Nearly three-quarters describe themselves as Asian, withnearly 60% Bangladeshi or Pakistani, but over 10% describe themselves as White. The casestudies confirmed that the longer established communities have developed supportnetworks to help out with interpreting, advocacy, etc. More recently arrived communitiesoften lack this social infrastructure. Language was perceived as their main barrier, alongwith lack of understanding more generally about how the British system works, where andhow to access information, and the availability of services.

■ Though younger than the general population, 3% of Muslims are over 65.

■ The census confirms the common assumption that Muslim households are more likely thanthe general population to comprise a married couple with two or more children — 28%compared with 11%. However, Muslims are more likely than the general population to belone parents — 12% of households compared with 10%. The great majority of loneparents are women. 3

1 This report draws on the census data for England and Wales only. In England and Wales the voluntary question “Whatis your religion?” was asked. The wording of the religion question differed in Scotland and Northern Ireland.


■ A significant proportion of Muslim households (13%) are non-pensioners living alone, notfar short of the figure of nearly 16% for the general population. While some of these maybe high achieving single professionals, the case studies show that they also include victimsof domestic violence, ex-offenders, people suffering from mental illness.

■ The case studies revealed the risk that both service providers and Muslim community andadvocacy groups may be inclined to overlook the needs of single people and lone parentsthrough preoccupation with families with children.

■ Muslims are more dependent on social housing than the general population (28%compared with 20%) and on private renting (17% against 10%).

■ Only about half of Muslim households (51%) are home owners, compared with 69% of thegeneral population, but a significant proportion (33% compared with 39% of the generalpopulation) are buying with a mortgage or loan, despite concern among many Muslimsabout borrowing money on interest.

■ The case studies revealed a considerable degree of child poverty and housing deprivationamong Muslims. This is confirmed by census statistics. Compared with the generalpopulation, nearly four times as many Muslim children are living in overcrowdedaccommodation (42% of Muslims compared with 12% of all children), while Muslimchildren are twice as likely to be in a home without central heating (over 12% comparedwith nearly 6%).

This report raises important questions about the planning and targeting of housing services,and makes sound recommendations for improving performance. It presents solid evidencewhich will help service providers and Muslim communities alike to engage in informed debateabout the nature and extent of Muslim housing needs and aspirations.

4


Introduction

In 2001, respondents to the Census in England and Wales were asked for the first time “Whatis your religion?” Ninety seven per cent of respondents chose to answer the question, and2.97% identified themselves as Muslim. Muslims make up the largest minority-faith population.

The availability of this data in the 2001 census provides a unique opportunity to evolve acommon understanding about the purpose of faith monitoring. The need for such a commonunderstanding is underlined by the recent adoption of the European Union EmploymentDirective, which requires member states to make discrimination unlawful on grounds of religionor belief, disability, age or sexual orientation in the areas of employment and training.Compliance with the Employment Directive in relation to religious discrimination was requiredby 2 December 2003. While the Directive applies only to employment, it clearly raises questionsabout the relationship between religion and service delivery. This is uncharted territory, andwork is now needed on all faith communities, so that services are developed that areresponsive to, and anticipate, the needs, aspirations, and expectations of an increasinglydiverse clientele.

In this report the Housing Corporation has chosen to focus upon Muslims for several reasons.Firstly, Muslims make up the largest minority-faith population, secondly, because earlierresearch has consistently shown that two predominantly Muslim ethnic groups, Pakistani andBangladeshi, have suffered particular housing disadvantage. Lastly, the troubles in Oldham,Bradford and Burnley in the summer of 2001 have provoked unprecedented scrutiny of theMuslim identity of a section of the population.2

There is a danger that research of this kind attributes to people who identified themselves inthe census as Muslim (or Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Hindu, or Sikh) a fixed, singularand essential identity. Unlike the census in Scotland and in Northern Ireland, which asked“What religion, religious denomination or body do you belong to?”, the census in England andWales simply asked “What is your religion?” The meaning invested by the individual in the tickplaced in the box cannot be known. That said, the census does allow us to map thedistribution of people who chose to identify themselves as Muslims. This mapping according toreligion may reveal hidden communities such as the ’White Other Muslims’, who may beBosnian or Kosovan, and ‘Black African Muslims’, who may be Somali in origin, who woulddisappear if the mapping were according to ethnicity.

More importantly, the census data allows us to examine how far housing in particular areas isin keeping with the desires of the groups resident there. If housing is seen as a litmus test forthe degree to which society routinely promotes equality between minority and majoritycommunities, physical separation is not the problem: poor housing is.3 This report thereforeattempts to use the census data to identify to what extent the Muslim population is living inpoor housing, and to identify those sections of the Muslim population which are mostdisadvantaged. It also places the census data within the housing contexts of three localauthorities, and gives personal contours to the tables of statistics by citing individual housinghistories of housing association tenants.

5

2 Cantle, Ted, Community Cohesion: a report of the independent review team, Home Office

3 Ratcliffe, Peter, in Coleman, David and Salt, John (eds) Ethnicity in the 1991 Census: Vol 1. Demographic characteristicsof the ethnic minority population, 1991, p302


METHODOLOGY

■ A literature review was made including literature relating to housing and race, ethnicity,black and minority ethnic (BME) groups, Asians and refugees. Very little research has beenframed by the religious identity of the research subjects, although the recent interest in‘faith’ as opposed to ‘ethnicity’ has begun to generate research findings.4

■ The analysis of census results for the Muslim population of England and Wales began withthe release of the National Report with Local Authority level data in May 2003, and wasextended to include ward level data released in August.

■ Detailed analysis of census results at local authority level was made for the London Boroughof Hackney, Kirklees in Yorkshire and the Humber, and Oxford in the South East region. Inthese case-study areas quantitative data was then placed in the context of qualitativeresearch findings based on interviews with key stakeholders, such as housing associationstaff, Council housing service staff, Housing Rights and Advice Centres, Muslim communityorganizations, Racial Equality Officers, elected Councillors, staff in Social, Youth andChildren’s Services. Housing history interviews were made with individual housingassociation tenants.

6

4 see for example Farnell, Richard: Furbey, Robert; Sham Al-Haqq Hills, Stephen; Macey Marie; Smith Greg, ‘Faith’ inurban regeneration? Engaging faith communities in urban regeneration, Policy Press, 2003


The Muslim population of England and Wales

■ There are Muslim returns to the census in all local authorities with the exception of theScilly Isles, ranging from over 71,389 people, who represent 36% of the population inTower Hamlets, to just ten people in Berwick on Tweed.

■ There are Muslim returns across all ethnic groups. ‘Asian’ is the chosen ethnic description ofnearly three quarters of all Muslims (nearly 60% are Pakistani or Bangladeshi), but over 10%of Muslims describe themselves as ‘White’. The main write-in response to the census ‘Other’categories that cannot be systematically allocated to 2001 census ethnic groups was ‘Arab’.5

■ There are Muslims across all age groups: it is a younger population than the generalpopulation, but 3% of Muslims are over 65.

The housing needs and aspirations of the Muslim population are therefore of relevance to alllocal authorities and reflect the entire range of ethnic groups and age groups. While it is trueto say that the 1.5 million-plus Muslim population enumerated in the census includes ayouthful population of Bangladeshis in Tower Hamlets and Pakistanis in Bradford there are arange of other experiences to be added to the picture.

HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION

The census data enables service providers to check their assumptions and to identify minoritytrends that may be of future significance. In the case of household composition, the standardtable showing the household composition by religion of household-reference person bears outthe commonly held assumption that Muslim households are more likely than the generalpopulation to be living in a family including two or more dependent children. However, nearly15% of Muslim households are one-person households, and over 11% are lone-parenthouseholds. This reinforces earlier evidence that there are an increasing number of smaller BMEhouseholds. Whether living alone is a positive experience of independence, or a negativeexperience of marginality, is revealed in the life-history interviews with housing associationtenants cited in the case-studies. Further qualitative research of this kind is required to gain afuller understanding of the formation of these households. (Table 1)

TENURE

18% of the Muslim population own their home outright, and a further 33% own their homewith a mortgage or loan. It is not possible to learn from the census results how many of thelatter group have the kind of mortgage in which the house-buyer borrows money and pays itback with some interest charged on top. Until recently, mortgages were a religious obstacle toany Muslim who wanted to buy a home, because it is against Islamic law to borrow or lend ata rate of interest, and most UK mortgages involve the house-buyer borrowing the money andpaying it back with some interest charged on top.6

75 Ethnic Group Statistics: A Guide for the Collection and Classification of Ethnicity Data, National Statistics, 2003,http//www.statistics/downloads/ethnic_group_statistics.pdf

6 The 2003 Finance Act has dealt with the problems of double stamp duty associated with Sharia compliant homefinance. Problems remain with the way in which Sharia compliant products usually require the property to be owned bya third party at some stage: this is expressly disallowed under the terms of the Right to Buy/Acquire and SharedOwnership in order to prevent abuse, see A Home of My Own: The Report of the Government’s Low Cost HomeOwnership Task Force, November 2003


Across all regions a smaller proportion of the Muslim population (51.43%) own their homethan in the Hindu population (73.85%) or in the general population (68.86%).

Home-ownership does not necessarily reflect prosperity. Analysis of local data is required tohelp demonstrate how far Muslim home-owners are situated in areas where the housingmarket is in their favour. The regional data do show that of those Muslims living in the affluentSouth East nearly 60% own their own home, however, the census data do not include incomelevels and so do not allow for an estimation of housing costs in relation to income which couldreveal higher levels of deprivation among home-owners living in the South East.

The pattern for those Muslims in social-rented accommodation varies across the country. A8

England and Wales All households % Muslim %

All households 21,660,475 100.00% 411,415 100.00%

One person 6,502,612 30.02% 60,656 14.74%

• pensioner 3,126,340 14.43% 9,143 2.22%

• other 3,376,272 15.59% 51,513 12.52%

One family and no other 13,715,989 63.32% 267,481 65.01%

All pensioners 1,942,737 8.97% 5,023 1.22%

Married-couple households 7,915,315 36.54% 202,091 49.12%

• no children 2,815,158 13.00% 27,132 6.59%

• with one dependent child 1,369,866 6.32% 41,459 10.08%

• with two or more dependent children 2,432,837 11.23% 117,197 28.49%

• all children non-dependent 1,297,454 5.99% 16,303 3.96%

Cohabiting-couple households 1,794,451 8.28% 11,330 2.75%

• no children 1,022,898 4.72% 4,412 1.07%

• with one dependent child 343,631 1.59% 2,328 0.57%

• with two or more dependent children 357,921 1.65% 4,128 1.00%

• all children non-dependent 70,001 0.32% 462 0.11%

Lone-parent households 2,063,486 9.53% 49,037 11.92%



• all children non-dependent 663,547 3.06% 9,845 2.39%

Other households 1,441,874 6.66% 83,278 20.24%



• all students 84,277 0.39% 3,211 0.78%

• all pensioners 88,785 0.41% 221 0.05%

• other 784,745 3.62% 26,539 6.45%

Table 1 Household composition by religion of Household Reference Person (HRP) 7

7 Census 2001 National Report S151


9

Geographical region All HRPs % Muslim HRPs %

England and Wales

All households 21,660,475 100.00% 411,415 100.00%

Owned 14,916,465 68.86% 211,591 51.43%

Owns outright 6,380,682 29.46% 74,891 18.20%

Owns with mortgage or loan 8,396,178 38.76% 133,912 32.55%

Social rented 4,157,251 19.19% 114,363 27.80%

• from Council 2,868,529 13.24% 73,034 17.75%

• other social rented 1,288,722 5.95% 41,329 10.05%

Private rented 2,141,322 9.89% 69,023 16.78%

North East

All households 1,066,302 100.00% 7,356 100.00%

Owned 678,407 63.62% 3,968 53.94%

Owns outright 269,503 25.27% 1,214 16.50%

Owns with mortgage or loan 404,327 37.92% 2,733 37.15%

Social rented 294,726 27.64% 1,288 17.51%

• from Council 238,586 22.38% 891 12.11%

• other social rented 56,140 5.26% 397 5.40%

Private rented 76,989 7.22% 1,580 21.48%

North West

All households 2,812,774 100.00% 50,797 100.00%

Owned 19,480,100 69.26% 31,746 62.50%

Owns outright 837,611 29.78% 14,087 27.73%


Social rented 564,571 20.07% 9,194 18.10%

• from Council 381,666 13.57% 4,657 9.17%

• other social rented 182,905 6.50% 4,537 8.93%

Private rented 240,024 8.53% 88,031 15.81%

Yorkshire and the Humber

All households 2,064,746 100.00% 44,686 100.00%

Owned 1,395,894 67.61% 28,809 64.47%

Owns outright 589,026 28.53% 11,470 25.67%


Social rented 434,176 21.03% 7,291 16.32%

• from Council 356,733 17.28% 4,493 10.05%


Private rented 187,809 9.10% 7,008 15.68%

continued…

Table 2: Tenure by religion of Household Reference Person (HRP)8



10


East Midlands

All households 1,732,486 100.00% 19,048 100.00%

Owned 1,250,574 72.18% 10,990 57.70%

Owns outright 533,555 30.80% 4,067 21.35%


Social rented 303,381 17.51% 4,162 21.85%

• from Council 239,889 13.85% 2,621 13.76%


Private rented 144,158 8.32% 3,231 16.96%

West Midlands

All households 2,153,672 100.00% 53,435 100.00%

Owned 1,498,066 69.56% 33,130 62.00%

Owns outright 651,389 30.25% 14,633 27.38%


Social rented 443,644 20.60% 10,595 19.83%

• from Council 307,127 14.26% 6,544 12.25%


Private rented 157,266 7.30% 7,551 14.13%

East

All households 2,231,978 100.00% 20,543 100.00%

Owned 1,622,870 72.71% 12,741 62.02%

Owns outright 684,456 30.67% 3,091 15.00%


Social rented 368,630 16.52% 3,955 19.25%

• from Council 259,031 11.61% 2,572 12.52%


Private rented 196,595 8.81% 3,315 16.14%

London

All households 3,015,997 100.00% 172,776 100.00%

Owned 1,704,719 56.52% 65,556 37.94%

Owns outright 665,061 22.05% 19,759 11.44%


Social rented 790,371 26.21% 69,575 40.27%

• from Council 516,242 17.12% 46,336 26.82%


Private rented 467,083 15.49% 29,920 17.32%

continued…

Table 2: Tenure by religion of Household Reference Person (HRP) (continued)


greater proportion of Muslims are to be found in social-rented accommodation in the EastMidlands, the East, the South East, South West and Wales, with London showing the greatestdifference between 26% of the general population and 41% of the Muslim population insocial-rented accommodation. In all other regions the Muslim population is under-representedin social-rented accommodation from the Council, but not in other social-rentedaccommodation, which includes registered social landlords. Since the 1980 Housing Act offeredlocal-authority tenants the right to buy their accommodation at subsidized rates, access tosocial housing has been directly linked to access to the housing market. The impact of the rightto buy policy on the Muslim population varies from one part of the country to anotherdepending upon the degree to which the Muslim population were local authority tenants andthe desirability of that housing. It has been argued that the opportunity for Council tenants to

11


South East

All households 3,287,489 100.00% 29,372 100.00%

Owned 2,431,459 73.96% 17,175 58.47%

Owns outright 1,028,194 31.28% 4,370 14.88%


Social rented 458,965 13.96% 5,904 20.10%

• from Council 241,767 7.35% 3,557 12.11%


Private rented 334,392 10.17% 5,321 18.12%

South West

All households 2,085,983 100.00% 7,417 100.00%

Owned 1,524,122 73.06% 3,955 53.32%

Owns outright 710,875 34.08% 1,187 16.00%


Social rented 282,265 13,53% 1,287 17.35%

• from Council 161,444 7.74% 759 10.23%


Private rented 233,149 11.18% 1,892 25.51%

Wales

All households 1,209,038 100.00% 5,985 100.00%

Owned 862,345 71.32% 3,521 58.83%

Owns outright 411,012 33.99% 1,023 17.09%


Social rented 216,525 17.91% 1,112 18.58%

• from Council 166,947 13.73% 604 10.09%


Private rented 103,843 8.59% 1,174 19.62%

Table 2: Tenure by religion of Household Reference Person (HRP) (continued)


become owner-occupiers was gained at the expense of ethnic minorities, who wereconcentrated in less desirable accommodation, much of it unsuitable for purchase.9 However,the Oxford and Kirklees case-studies reveal that the policy is now perceived to be benefitingthe haves (whether Muslim or non-Muslim) at the expense of the have-nots.

Across all regions the proportion of the Muslim population living in the private rented sector isclose to double or more that of the general population. London is the exception, where similarproportions of the Muslim and the general population rent from the private sector.

STANDARD OF HOUSING

An insight into the standard of the housing inhabited by Muslims can be gained from thetheme table of religion of all dependent children in households. This gives a picture of housingdisadvantage and inequity. Across the country nearly 42% of Muslim children are living inovercrowded accommodation, whereas only 12% of all dependent children are living inovercrowded accommodation.10 A greater proportion of Muslim children are also living withoutcentral heating and on the second floor or higher. The greatest proportion of Muslim childrenlive without central heating in Yorkshire and the Humber, but it is in London that thedisadvantage of Muslim children appears to be most pronounced, with overcrowding levelsreaching 53.27% and 18.35% of all Muslim children living on the second floor or above.

These figures for all dependent children in the Muslim population should be treated withcaution. They mask the even more severe housing stress amongst sections of the Muslimpopulation. While across England and Wales 42% of Muslim children are living in overcrowdedaccommodation, 55.62% of Bangladeshi children are living in over-crowded accommodation.11

The proportion is nearly as high for Black African children, and one fifth of the Black Africanpopulation is revealed by the census to be Muslim.12 A significant proportion of these BlackAfrican Muslims will be Somali, for whom there is evidence of acute housing stress.13

HOUSING PROBLEMS, POVERTY, AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION

Problems with housing, such as shortage of space, damp walls or floors, and lack of adequateheating, have been found to be much more likely to be experienced by children in poverty,severe or otherwise. Research has also shown that problems with local area, such as noisyneighbours and vandalism, are much more likely to be experienced by severely poor children.14

The association between housing (and neighbourhood) problems, poverty and social exclusionopens up a whole range of questions.

One of the key findings of Save the Children research is that paid work provides the bestprotection from poverty, but that it is not always successful, particularly in households where

12

9 Lakey, Jane, ‘Neighbourhoods and Housing’, in Modood, Tariq and Berthaud, Richard, Ethnic Minorities in Britain:Diversity and Disadvantage, 1997, pp184–223

10 The Census 2001 occupancy rating provides a measure of under-occupancy and overcrowding. For example, a valueof –1 Implies that there is one room too few and that there is overcrowding in the household. The occupancy ratingassumes that every household, including one person households, requires a minimum of two common rooms (excludingthe bathroom).

11 Census 2001 T12

12 Census 2001 S104, T12

13 Cole, Ian and Robinson, David, Somali Housing Experiences in England, Centre for Regional Economic and SocialResearch, Sheffield Hallam University, 2003

14 Britain's poorest children: severe and persistent poverty and social exclusion, Save the Children, 2003


13

Geographical region All dependent children % Muslim %

Eengland and Wales 11665266 100.00% 589328 100.00%

Overcrowded 1431657 12.27% 245908 41.73%

Accommodation does not have central heating 683808 5.86% 72336 12.27%

Living on second floor or higher 236339 2.03% 44928 7.62%

No car or van in household 1922487 16.48% 165265 28.04%

Living in lone parent household 2671886 22.90% 110470 18.75%

Living in a one adult household 2232466 19.14% 75680 12.84%

No adults in employment 2053229 17.60% 206424 35.03%

North East 555664 100.00% 10208 100.00%

Overcrowded 55763 10.04% 3153 30.89%







North West 1554541 100.00% 82464 100.00%

Overcrowded 168830 10.86% 28890 35.03%







Yorkshire and the Humber 1125697 100.00% 76616 100.00%

Overcrowded 125108 11.11% 28450 37.13%







continued…

Table 3: Theme table on religion of all dependent children in households 15

15 Census 2001 National Report T52


14


East Midlands 929586 100.00% 26058 100.00%

Overcrowded 79019 8.50% 7610 29.20%







West Midlands 1218723 100.00% 88329 100.00%

Overcrowded 145664 11.95% 29735 33.66%







East 1202488 100.00% 29349 100.00%

Overcrowded 102389 8.51% 10778 36.72%







London 1618983 100.00% 222341 100.00%

Overcrowded 461704 28.52% 118450 53.27%







South East 1762412 100.00% 38004 100.00%

Overcrowded 156071 8.86% 14293 37.61%







continued…

Table 3: Theme table on religion of all dependent children in households (continued)


there is only one worker. For this reason, the results cited in table 3 include not only resultsdirectly relating to housing, but also information on car or van ownership, the number ofadults in employment, lone-parent households, and the number of adults in the household (allpossible indicators of poverty and social exclusion). The census tells us that as many as 35% ofall Muslim children are growing up in a household where no adult is in employment, comparedwith 17.6% of all dependent children. It also tells us that the proportion of Muslim children(18.75%) living in a lone-parent household is close to that of all dependent children (22.90%).These two results are a warning that a significant section of the Muslim population is highlylikely to require protection from severe and persistent poverty, and the associated problems ofsubstandard housing and blighted neighbourhoods.

15


South West 1038508 100.00% 7500 100.00%

Overcrowded 81045 7.80% 2171 28.95%







Wales 658564 100.00% 8459 100.00%

Overcrowded 56064 8.51% 2378 28.11%







Table 3: Theme table on religion of all dependent children in households (continued)


Case-studies

England and Wales are made up of 376 local authorities, and there is scope in this report toexamine the housing experiences of Muslims in just three: Hackney in London, Kirklees inYorkshire and the Humber, and Oxford in the South East. Hackney is ranked eighth in terms ofthe proportion of its Muslim population (13.8%), Kirklees nineteenth (10.1%) and Oxford fifty-ninth (3.8%). The census data also reveals very different patterns of ethnic group and tenure ineach case-study area.

The presence of housing associations of different characters was also a factor in the choice ofcase-study area. In Hackney the North London Muslim Housing Association had alreadyasserted its own faith-based identity. In Kirklees the BME housing association Sadeh Lok wasable to involve Muslim members of its staff in the researcher’s contacts with the local Muslimcommunity. In Oxford, there is no BME housing association and the BME tenants of OxfordCitizen’s Housing Association are in a minority.

A local literature search and interviews with key stakeholders demonstrated varying degrees ofawareness of, and responses to, Muslim housing needs. Finally, life history interviews withhousing association tenants in each local authority give personal contours to the routes ofMuslim tenants into social-rented housing. All but one of the housing history interviews washeld in the householder's home. In Kirklees and Hackney the researcher was accompanied by ahousing officer from the local housing association able to converse in the tenant's preferredlanguage. The interviewees were informed of the context of the research, that the researchercame from the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, and that they had been selected on the basisof their identity as Muslim tenants.16 The gender of the interviewer was matched with theinterviewee in all but one case. The interviews were recorded, but were conducted informallywith core questions around housing and room for discursions on other aspects of being aMuslim in Britain.

These are not a set of randomly selected cases, but a purposive sample. We have avoided areaswhere there has already been significant research, such as Bradford and Luton.17 Otherdistricts, say, LB Newham, Rochdale, and Coventry, and other interviews, would no doubt haveresulted in findings reflecting different particularities. However, through the triangulation of thequantitative results of the Census at local authority level with the qualitative data ofstakeholder interviews and individual housing histories it is intended to provide insightsapplicable in other settings.18

16

16 Matthias p11 “Faith-based communities have been able to collate and provide information on disadvantagedfollowers often excluded from the mainstream service providers”

17 Ratcliffe et al, Breaking Down the Barriers: Improving Asian Access to Social Rented Housing, Chartered Institute ofHousing, 2001; Bowes et al, ‘Too White, Too Rough, and Too Many Problems’: a study of Pakistani Housing in Britain,Housing Policy and Practice Unit, University of Stirling, 1998

18 For a further justification of the extension of this methodology see Bowes et al p2 “Such qualitative work, whichfocuses on action by householders themselves is an important missing element in much ethnic minority research. Wewould argue… that this omission means that the realisation (or otherwise) of preferences, the consequences of variousactions for success or failure, and the cumulative results of actions in facilitating or restricting choice have not been fullyunderstood.”


HACKNEY

The London Borough of Hackney is home to 202,821 people who among them havetransnational links that cover the world. According to the census over 40% of Hackney'spopulation are from a minority ethnic group and over 14% of children were born outside theUK.19 The census table for ethnic group by religion also shows that the 27,908 Muslims aredistributed across all the major ethnic groups.20

Hackney is adjacent to Tower Hamlets the most deprived area in the country. Hackney itself isranked the second most deprived area in the country according to the Index of MultipleDeprivation 2000. All twenty-three wards in Hackney (out of 8,414 in the whole country) are inthe worst 10% nationally and seven wards are in the worst 3%.22

Where there is deprivation there is often a rich literature of research findings. Two studies byChristine and Naomi Holman provide some context for the housing needs of Muslims living inHackney. The first study commissioned by the Housing Corporation established the particularneeds of the Orthodox Jewish community of Stamford Hill.23 The acute housing needs of thiscommunity are masked by their inclusion for the purposes of the census within the widerJewish population. There is also evidence that many of the Orthodox Jewish community did notmake census returns.24 Similarly the housing needs of Somalis highlighted in researchcommissioned by Sahil Housing Association disappear within the larger grouping of BlackAfrican. There is also reason to believe that the Somalis are undercounted in the census: censusreturns show only 3,087 Black African Muslims living in Hackney and Holman estimates thesize of the Somali community as 5,000.25 In order to identify the housing circumstances of

17

Ethnic group All people % Muslim %

White 59.39 9.10

Mixed 4.19 13.99

Asian 8.58 66.29

Black or Black British 24.65 6.91

Chinese or Other Ethnic Group 3.17 11.72

Table 4: Ethnic group by religion: Hackney 21

19 On the basis of information gathered from the 1991 Census, Council estimates, school/college enrolment,community groups and mosque visits, Hackney's Muslim population was estimated to be as high as 23% by the researchteam for ‘Housing Plus Needs of the Young Muslims in Hackney’, North London Muslim Housing Association, HousingCorporation 2000.



22 www.map.hackney.gov.uk

23 Holman Christine with Naomi Holman, ‘Orthodox Jewish Housing Need in Stamford Hill’, De Montfort University,August 2001; Holman, Christine and Holman, Naomi, ‘Torah, worship and acts of loving kindness: Baseline indicatorsfor the Charedi community in Stamford Hill’, De Montfort University, November 2002

24 Holman 2001 estimates that the community numbers 15,186 or 7.8% of the LB Hackney using North LondonShomer Shabbos Directory data or 19,440 or 10% of the population using synagogue membership data. The censusreturns give a much lower figure for the total Jewish population of 10,730.

25 Holman, Christine and Holman, Naomi, ‘First steps in a new country: basline indicators for the Somali community inLB Hackney’, June 2003


specific sections of the population, much sharper tools than the census are needed, especiallywhen seeking to understand communities where English is often not a first language and thereis a lack of confidence in how information given may be used. However, the comparison of thedata for Muslim children with the Jewish and Black African children's data alerts us to the factthat housing disadvantage, poverty, and social exclusion of similar seriousness will be foundamong Muslim households.

As would be expected from the trend already remarked on for London, a smaller proportion ofthe Muslim population of Hackney own their homes, and more live in social rentedaccommodation (64.71%). It is this social rented accommodation which is under pressure toprovide decent and affordable housing to the many diverse groups in the borough who haveacute housing needs.

Community relations

All the stakeholders involved in the individual and small-group discussions were acutely awareof the housing needs within Hackney's population, but at no point did they mention poorcommunity relations. On the contrary they took pride in Hackney’s diversity. The fact that theborough is not polarized between two highly visible communities, but has a long history ofabsorbing a succession of migrants has perhaps diffused conflict. As each community carvesout a space for itself, this in its turn has created precedents for other communities. This can bemost clearly seen in Cazenove Road, where Jewish and Muslim schools, synagogues, mosques,community centres and housing associations are located. The social capital generated by thelocal commitments, solidarities, interests, organizations, and social networks that relate to18

All dependent children % Muslim % Jewish % Black African %

Overcrowding 45.79% 56.95% 30.33% 66.65%

Second floor or higher 21.90% 24.83% 10.26% 34.33%

Lone parent family 35.67% 22.77% 7.19% 41.04%

Born outside UK 14.31% 25.04% 7.45% 28.38%

No adult in employment 35.72% 43.93% 21.30% 32.14%

Table 5: All dependent children in households by religion or ethnic group 26

Tenure All HRPs % Muslim %

Rented from Council 30.66 39.77

Other Social rented 20.09 24.94

Table 6: Tenure by religion of household reference person (HRP): Hackney 27

26 Census 2001 National Report T12, T51



people's religious identities is helping shape the housing environment of the borough.28 InStamford Hill where communities are competing for the same physical space, in close proximityto their amenities, it remains to be seen how issues of overcrowding and rising prices can beresolved. Social landlords can lead the way in encouraging the continued development ofmixed communities around amenities in other locations rather than additional but separatecommunities located apart.

Homelessness

Across London there are over 50,000 homeless households in temporary housing (excludingasylum seekers). This figure is more than twice what it was six years ago. According to HackneyCouncil, the main cause of the overall increase in recent years is a significant fall in the numberof Council homes available to let in London since the mid 1990s. The number of housingassociation homes has fallen also, but not as significantly.29

Hackney’s Homelessness Strategy recognizes that black and ethnic minority households areover-represented among those people living in temporary accommodation.30 20% of theSomali households who took part in research initiated by Sahil Housing Association were livingin temporary accommodation, and almost 90% had accessed their accommodation eitherthrough LB Hackney Homelessness Unit or through LB Hackney nomination to its own orhousing association stock.31

What are the causes of homelessness? When Muslim men, both young and old, met at theAzizye Mosque32 as part of a consultation with faith groups, they described relationshipbreakdown as one of the key reasons behind homelessness.33 Somali community leaders alsoreported that under the strain of life in Britain their community was experiencing a high levelof family breakdown.34

19

A had come to Britain from Somaliland in 1993. She came with her five children to joinher husband. Her husband left, and A then lived in temporary Council accommodation. Itwas very bad: old, cold and damp. In 1994 she and her children moved but the house wasno better. In 1995 A moved to a fourth floor flat with no lift. After one month she movedto her current house which had four bedrooms and a garden.

In two years the family had made four moves, and with every move the children had tochange schools.

This interview took place during the summer holidays, during which the children had notspent any time away from home.

28 Housing plus faith: Working with Muslim tenants, North London Muslim Housing Association, 2000 video scriptcontends that the needs of Muslim tenants are not adequately addressed without giving due regard to their faith.

29 Part 1 The Borough’s Review of Homelessness,


29 ibid

29 Saif Ahmed, Hackney Housing Service, April 2003, p21

30 Homelessness Strategy 2003/4, Hackney Council, July 2003

31 Holman et al, 2002, p.21

32 Used by the Turkish community

33 Interim Report for Hackney Council, Consultation with Faith and BME communities on the Homelessness Strategy,Faith Regen UK Ltd, April 2003

34 Holman et al, 2003


In the Holman study of the Somali community, “Over 50% of householders describedthemselves as single parents. Many annotated the questionnaire to reject the term ‘singleparent’ in favour of their chosen description as ‘single mother’. Two women expressly statedthat their husbands remained in Somalia.”35

An attempt is being made to alleviate pressure on social housing in London through LondonAuthority West and North (LAWN) which offers people resettlement in housing in the West andNorth. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some Muslim families have moved successfully toareas where there are existing Muslim communities, however, the religious identity of the 413participants in the scheme during 2002/3 has not been monitored.36 Despite the high incidenceof lone-women parents with children among Hackney’s homeless, it should be noted that loneparents with children may find it most difficult to relocate away from existing communitysupport networks.

Single homelessness

Whereas the proportion of the Muslim population living nationally in one-person households is14.74% in Hackney it is 18.01%. The Homelessness Strategy 2003/4 identifies a gap in itsknowledge of the extent of single homelessness. Faith Regen UK worked with Hackney Councilto plan and lead awareness and consultation sessions with many of the faith groups inHackney. One of their recommendations was that “the needs of single people must not beoverlooked in the drive to help children and families.”37 It is very likely that single homelesspeople were undercounted in the census.

Supported housing for people with mental health problems

According to the census Hackney has the highest number of permanently sick or disabledpeople in Greater London. Within the borough, both the North London Muslim HousingAssociation and the North London Muslim Community Centre are giving priority to developingwork with Muslims with mental-health problems. Housing Corporation research has alreadyshown that stereotyping of Asian families as 'caring for their own' has resulted in a short fall of

20

R had arrived aged 22 as a refugee from Iraq in 1999. He was accommodated by LBHackney in a four-bedroom house with eight other single men. He said he was gettingcrazy there, “for two and half years I fought for the kitchen and fought for thebathroom”. When the landlord sold the house he was evicted and ended up sleeping inparks and underground stations. He found hostels in the Piccadilly area were intimidatingplaces where people were smoking and drinking. With the help of the Medical Foundationfor Victims of Torture and his solicitor he was given emergency accommodation by LBHackney. For the past two years he has lived in a one-bedroom flat rented from a housingassociation. The good points of this accommodation were that it was very clean, the areawas good and the neighbours were quiet.

R knew the names of none of his neighbours and when asked who he would turn to forhelp if he were ill said no one but “Allah”.

35 Holman et al, 2003 p11

36 “While we are confident that BME families have relocated successfully through the scheme — clearly there arefamilies who have not. This appears to be more likely if people move to more rural areas and parts of the East ofEngland which are very white.” Correspondence with LAWN, August 2003

37 Homelessness Strategy 2003/4, Hackney Council, July 2003, p17


service provision for individuals in need.38 This is confirmed by research carried out in TowerHamlets which highlights the extraordinary burden of care which can fall upon women inMuslim households.39

Youth

Young Muslims in Hackney have been found to identify themselves clearly as part of thissociety and unlike previous generations, have weaker links with their parents’ country oforigin.40 Across the country there is evidence that in many contexts young Muslims are morelikely to identify themselves as British Muslim, than by an ethnic group such as British Pakistani.

The youth are the future of the Muslim communities in Hackney, and the North London MuslimHousing Association study of young Muslims contains optimistic findings. Young Muslims inHackney (both boys and girls) are attached to their families, and aspire towards good careers.However, the same survey says that young Muslims say that they are happy to move fromHackney as long as they find accommodation.41 Young Muslims growing up in Hackney face adilemma, in order to realise their goals they must move away from an area of poor housingand unemployment, where as one Turkish community organizer put it, “housing is the motherof all problems”, but that also means moving away from the parental home. The Turkishcommunity has already witnessed the shift of the younger population out of Islington andHackney into Haringey and Enfield.

Language difficulties, access to information

“You are looking through the wrong window, instead you should be looking at immigrationstatus and level of English.” This Turkish community organizer took issue with the basis of theresearch. He identified those with language difficulties, such as the elderly and newly arrivedmigrants, and women as in particular need. None of the Muslim tenants interviewed in Hackneyhad fluent English and all chose to tell their housing histories in a language other than English.

The consultation held by Faith Regen UK with women at the North London Muslim CommunityCentre identified different issues. What came across quite strongly in the discussion was thelack of proper advice about housing services and benefits. People who needed information didnot have any idea about how to go about accessing information. Misinformation was anotherworrying issue. The women placed a greater emphasis than the men on the importance ofcommunity infrastructure in their lives.

The woman in the following case-study describes how her access to information, and decisionsabout her housing, have been mediated first by her husband and then her son.

21

38 Matthias 2001, Lessons from two studies on mental ill health and housing needs within the Asian community,pp32–33

39 Philipson, Chris; Ahmed, Nilufar and Latimer, Joanna, Women in transition: A study of the experiences of Bangladeshiwomen living in Tower Hamlets, The Policy Press, April 2003 This research describes the multiple burdens of care uponwomen looking after both young children and much older husbands in ill health.

40 Housing plus needs of the young Muslims in Hackney, North London Muslim Housing Association, March 2001, p4

41 Housing plus needs of the young Muslims in Hackney, p42


KIRKLEES

Kirklees is one of the five local authority districts of the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire.It borders Oldham, Calderdale, Bradford, Leeds, Wakefield and Barnsley. At its centre, half-wayalong the M62 corridor between Leeds and Manchester, is the town of Huddersfield. Thesouthern most tip reaches into the green hills of the Peak District, while north Kirklees includesthe congested urban areas of Batley and Dewsbury.

The Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000 ranks Kirklees as the eighty-fifth most deprived localauthority in England and Wales (out of 354). Three of Kirklees wards fell among the top 10%of the most deprived wards nationally: Deighton, Thornhill, and Dewsbury West.42

The overall population is 388,569, of whom 10% are Muslim. The census also shows that, incontrast to neighbouring Bradford or Oldham, this Muslim population includes a significantIndian (28.89%) as well as Pakistani (62.56%) population.

The census results for tenure by religion are particularly interesting in Kirklees because theyshow very little divergence between the pattern within the general population and the patternwithin the Muslim population.

22

B was a woman aged 42 who had been living in LB Hackney for the past 24 years. Shecame from Bangladesh to join her husband in 1979, staying first with an uncle for a fewmonths, and then moving to a Homeless Hostel. In her view, it was much easier then: thebed and breakfast was very nice, and three families shared the kitchen. When her son wasborn in February 1980 the family moved to a two bedroom Council flat. Three furtherchildren were born and the flat became overcrowded. The Council offered the family alarger flat but it was on the fourth floor and damp. After ten years wait, with the help ofa solicitor, her husband found her current house.

Her current home has four bedrooms, a large living area and kitchen. B worked as achildminder and looked after children in her own home.

She does not want to move, but her son, now 21, would like to move the family out ofLondon.

All HRPs % Muslim HRPs %

Owned 70.68% 68.87%

Owns outright 30.45% 32.67%

Owns mortgage or loan 39.84% 35.51%

Social rented 17.24% 17.17%

Rented from Council 14.45% 12.49%

Other Social rented 2.79% 4.68%

Private rented 9.12% 10.74%

Table 7: Tenure by religion of household reference person (HRP): Kirklees 43

42 Economic Development Service Briefing Note No.6, Kirklees Metropolitan Council



However, a slightly smaller proportion of the Muslim population rent from the Council and aslightly greater proportion live in other social-rented accommodation.

The table on all dependent children within households does, nevertheless, point to a housingdisadvantage for Muslim children.

Looking to the future

Unlike Hackney, where avoiding homelessness was the main concern, individuals involved indiscussions in Kirklees were forward-looking and full of aspirations for the future. Theiroptimism was shaded by fear of a deterioration in community relations, of the kind that hadtaken place elsewhere in Bradford, Burnley and Oldham, but there was an underlyingconfidence that Kirklees was different and that they were part of an upwardly mobile population.

Housing providers were not solely concerned with housing today’s homeless people, but werealso thinking about planning for future generations of tenants.

Community safety

It was striking that all the homes the researcher visited in Kirklees had their front doors open. Itwas summer, but these housing association tenants were obviously at ease with theirimmediate neighbours and in the safety of their locality. Everyone interviewed made adistinction between north and south Kirklees, one Council worker saying that he would haveno fear walking as a person belonging to a visible minority in Huddersfield, but would not gointo north Kirklees after dark. How far people perceived to be Muslim are justified in theirfears, was borne out when on 14 August 2003 the BNP won Heckmondwicke by-election andgained its first seat on Kirklees Council.

The Muslims interviewed made a distinction between fear of isolation and fear of harassment.They were ready to live in an area where they had safety in numbers, and would not be theonly visible minority on the street or using public transport.

The restricted choice of housing available in Council housing stock has meant that Muslimsingle-parent families, fleeing domestic violence, who most need a safe and supportive 23

All dependent Muslim dependentchildren % children %

Occupancy rating –1 or less 16.23% 41.39%

No central heating 21.67% 27.55%

No adults in employment 17.48% 26.29%

HRP never worked 4.87% 11.57%

Table 8: Religion of all dependent children in households: Kirklees 44

44 Census 2001 T52


environment, have experienced double violence when subjected to racial harassment onpredominantly ‘White’ estates.45

Changing household composition

There is still an unmet demand for large family homes as reflected in the 35% of the KirkleesMuslim population who live in married couple households with two or more dependent children.Nevertheless, demand for 1–2 person households from Muslim men (and fewer women) appearsto be rising. Research from Bradford shows a likely increase in the numbers of young Asianwomen who are heads of household, and some evidence of women already moving away fromthe core settlement areas to achieve an element of independence from the ‘community’ andclose family.46 It may be the case that whereas the adaptation of male migrants to British citiesformed the basis of the early models, changes in women's opportunities and outlooks may beamong the most important new determinants of urban form.47 Both younger and older peopleare showing through their housing choices that what they want is a level of independence, butto live close enough to family members to enjoy mutual support.48

One-person pensioner households make up just 2% of the Muslim households in Kirklees.These housing histories indicate the importance of getting information in community languagesto all members of the Muslim community, so that irrespective of their age and genderindividuals can make housing choices, and the importance of ground floor, and/or shelteredaccommodation independent from, but still near, family members.

24

H married in India just before partition. She then crossed to Pakistan with her husband andit was in the Punjab in Pakistan that her children were born. In 1974 her husband migratedto the UK, and four years later she followed him with the children, leaving her eldestdaughter in the family home in Pakistan. The first house her husband bought had one andhalf bedrooms and a toilet out the back. The next home was similar. The third house wasbigger, but still only had two and a half bedrooms for the couple and their four children. Hworked ten years in the textile mills.

When her husband died her eldest son was a student. She was on her own and felt scared.Her son asked her to move to Bradford to live with him and his wife, but she did not wantto. She had lived in Huddersfield eighteen years and had no wish to move to Bradford.Without consulting her son, she approached a social worker well known in the Pakistanicommunity. It was this social worker who put her in touch with the housing association.

H moved into a housing association one bedroom flat in 1991. After four years sherequested a transfer to a ground floor flat. Only once her daughter, who could speakEnglish, had intervened did the transfer take place. Her daughter lived a couple of milesaway, but works just round the corner and comes in every day before and after work.(During the interview the daughter called by to drop off her five-year old son to stay withhis grandmother.) At weekends H goes to her son and daughter-in-law in Bradford.

If H needs any help in her home she calls her daughter by telephone. She does not ask forhelp from her neighbours. There are three other single Muslim women and one single manon the housing scheme. “Allah is looking after me.”

45 Interview with C.H.A.S. Housing Aid Centre, Huddersfield

46 Ratcliffe, Peter with Harrison, Malcolm; Hogg, Rachel; Line, Bob; Phillips, Deborah and Tomlins, Richard, Breakingdown the barriers: improving Asian access to social rented housing, Chartered Institute of Housing, 2001, p59

47 see research from Canada Skaburskis, Andrejs ‘Gender Differences in Housing Demand’, Urban Studies, Vol.34 No.2,pp275–320, 1997, p275

48 This trend among Muslim young people mirrors the preferences voiced by all young people in Young People andHousing Associations, Housing Corporation, September 2002


Mobility

The younger generation are more mobile than their parents, young women as well as mendrive, and all experience no language difficulties using public transport. The older generationwas often described as more community based, while the younger generation describedthemselves as more mobile, aspiring to live in mixed neighbourhoods within easy driving (notwalking) distance of community amenities.49

It is possible to map those areas of Kirklees to which Muslims can move. These areas arecontiguous to the more overcrowded areas where Muslims are currently concentrated.Difficulties arise where existing communities are surrounded by green belt or predominantly‘White’ estates, and there is nowhere nearby to move out to.

Affordable housing in mixed communities

Many of the discussions in Kirklees were shaped by the context of the right-to-buy. It wasuniformly acknowledged that everyone aspires to buy their own home, but there was muchmore vehemence in the objections to the effects of the sale of Council housing. Two aspectsparticularly vexed people.

First, the policy was not perceived to be fair. Muslims in employment who were not claimingany means tested benefits, and who could not afford to buy a first home in the area of theirchoice, resented the fact that people who had been claiming housing benefit throughout theirtenure, could raise funds if there was the right to buy.

25

M had never married or owned a home. He had worked in the textile mills and nowsuffered from diabetes and angina, and talking was difficult. Before moving into thehousing association sheltered scheme he had been living with his sister in Dewsbury. Hefound his housing association accommodation through the Housing Office. Relatives andfriends now came to visit him. The other residents, Muslim and non-Muslim, were also likea family to him as they tried to help each other.

Both heads of household happened to be imams who had first lived in mosqueaccommodation and then when joined by their families had sought housing in the privaterented sector. Problems of high rents, overcrowding, and poor standards of repair led themto approach the local authority for help with housing. Neither family had other closerelatives in Kirklees. Both households were now living in housing association four bedroomhouses with gardens in neighbourhoods where they felt safe and at ease leaving theirfront door open. The two households differed in that Z and his family were living in amixed housing scheme, with a Polish neighbour on one side and an African on the other,and N and his family were living in a cul-de-sac solely with Pakistani families. Both familieswere sending their children to Islamic schools: for Z’s children this meant a car journey, forN’s children the school was within walking distance.

49 See research findings from neighbouring Leeds and Bradford, Phillips, Deborah, Asian mobility in Leeds and Bradford,School of Geography, University of Leeds, 2002, see also Ratcliffe et al, 2001, p10


Secondly, there was a widespread belief that there was no point in having social housing andselling it. Social housing was recognized as a necessary safety net for women alone, olderpeople who had fallen on hard times, families who had lost their homes, or families withdisabled members who needed specially adapted accommodation. For younger families, unableto afford to buy there first home, the social-rented sector was also seen as a positive choice.

A third issue that requires further investigation within the context of Kirklees is the possibleconflict between meeting the aspiration to buy, and the goal of building mixed communities.50

Marginal element of Muslim young homelessness

There has long been a concern about hidden households within the Muslim extended family.51

Concern was also raised about a growing element of Muslim young homelessness, and inparticular among those young men leaving prison.52 The Prison Service has been collecting datain relation to religious identity since before it was included in the census. Muslims make up 8%of the prison population whereas, according to the census, they make up less than 3% of thetotal population.

OXFORD

Oxford lies in the 2001 census South East region. It is just one hour's journey away fromLondon, and it is thus possible to live in Oxford and commute daily to London. It is possible tooto live in Oxford and go regularly to London to access multi-cultural amenities. With high levelsof employment, this has made the city a popular destination for migrants and refugees.According to the census the city's population is 134,257 including about 25,000 students.

At ward level, the city shows some unusual patterns in terms of deprivation across the pre-2001 wards. Those consistently in the least deprived are North and Central, with Central wardbeing the least income deprived ward in England. Those consistently in the most deprived areBlackbird Leys and Littlemore, which fall in the worst 10% in the domains of income, childpoverty, and housing. With high employment no ward is in the worst 10% in the domain ofemployment. However the fact that demand has far exceeded supply of housing means that asmany as seven wards fall in the most deprived 10% in the domain of housing. House prices arehigh and above the average for the county and the South East as a whole. Rents in the privatesector remain beyond the reach of many people, even with the help of housing-benefitpayments.53

Only Blackbird Leys is considered to be deprived enough by the Government on this measure tobe eligible for support, for instance through the Single Regeneration Budget.Contrary to the pattern in other areas, poverty in Oxfordshire does not seem to be aboutjoblessness, low pay may be an issue instead.54

26

50 Ratcliffe Peter et al, 2001, p83

51 ibid p23

52 The Homelessness (Priority Need for Accommodation) (England) Order 2002 regulations extended priority need topeople who are vulnerable as a result of spending time in prison or remanded in custody.

53 Housing Strategy 2001–2004, Oxford City Council, p5

54 Mapping poverty in Oxfordshire, 2000, www.oxfordshire.gov.uk


Oxford's Muslim population number 5,165 according to the census. Over 70% of Oxford'sMuslims described themselves as belonging to the Asian ethnic group. Within this group, themost numerous population is Pakistani, which is over three times the size of the second largestpopulation, the Bangladeshis. In contrast to Kirklees, the Indian population is much smaller.

Oxford is a small city and its different communities are very close-knit. This Muslim populationis underrepresented in both the most and least deprived wards of the city North (1.4%) andBlackbird Leys (1.9%) and is overrepresented in Cowley (5.9%) and Cowley Marsh (10.2%).

Muslims interviewed in Oxford showed a greater reluctance to enter the social-rented sectorthan elsewhere, and it is somewhat surprising that the Census shows over quarter of Oxford’sMuslim population do in fact live in the social rented sector.

There is no BME housing association operating in Oxford, and across all housing services ethnicminority staff are few and far between. Typically, a statutory service or voluntary-sector 27

Ethnic group Muslim %

White 12.93%

Mixed 5.09%

Asian 71.21%

Indian 2.36%

Pakistani 47.69%

Bangladeshi 15.82%

Other Asian 5.34%

Black 5.63%

Chinese of Other Ethnic Group 5.13%

Table 9: Ethnic Group by Religion: Oxford 55

All HRPs % Muslims %

Owned 54.88% 43.90%

Owned outright 26.57% 14.46%

Owned with mortgage or loan 27.14% 28.69%

Social rented 21.25% 27.12%

Rented from Council 15.70% 17.75%

Other social rented 5.54% 9.36%

Private rented 20.84% 23.52%

Table 10: Tenure by religion of Household Reference Person (HRP): Oxford 56




organization will have one worker who is a link person with the Asian community. This is thepattern within the Social Services, the Youth Service, the Housing Rights Centre and the SureStart Programme. Interviews were conducted with Oxford Citizens' Housing Association(OCHA) which has introduced a question related to religious identity as part of its tenant-satisfaction survey. Results show that within OCHA accommodation in Oxford City 8% of itstenants are Muslim (compared with 3.8% of the city's population). It is also possible to seethat these tenants are concentrated in temporary accommodation.57

If we consider figures for Muslim dependent children living in Oxford, they show high levels ofovercrowding, as elsewhere in the country. They also show high levels of children living inhouseholds where no adult is in employment despite the fact that Oxford is an area of highemployment, and despite the fact that Oxford’s Pakistani Muslim population is known byPakistanis elsewhere in the country as “the working Muslims”. In a report written to highlightthe predicament of children living in temporary accommodation in Oxford, Save the Childrenestimated that at least 5.3 per cent of children in Oxford City were statutorily homeless inJanuary 2002.58

Oxford is therefore a city which encompasses both affluence and deprivation, and highdemand for limited housing is one of the factors that pushes sections of its population intounsatisfactory living conditions. High demand for limited housing also makes people in housingneed vulnerable to abuse. An assessment completed by the Housing Department in November2001 found that people from black and minority ethnic groups were over-represented amongthe statutorily homeless population in Oxford. They also had lower incomes and found it moredifficult to cover their housing costs, and were more pessimistic than ‘White’ households wereabout achieving their preferred tenure choice.60

Within East Oxford, where most of the Muslim population live, there are complex problemsarising from the limited housing stock owned by Oxford City Council in comparison to the levelof private housing. Often the greatest deprivation is within the private-rented sector, with somelandlords reluctant to improve conditions, feeling assured of their continued ability to receive

28

All dependent children % Muslim children %

Overcrowded 15.32% 39.06%

No central heating 3.26% 1.91%

Second floor or higher 2.09% 2.47%

Born outside the UK 8.28% 16.50%

Lone parent family 26.34% 19.64%

No adult in employment 18.57% 30.64%

Table 11: All dependent children in households: Oxford 59

57 Oxford Citizens Housing Association, September 2003

58 Stanley, Kate, “Home is not just a place to keep our stuff”: a study of the effects of living in temporaryaccommodation on children in Oxford City, Save the Children, 2002

59 Census 2001 National Report T52

60 Brown, R, Housing Department Assessment of the Strategic Development of Services for Black and Ethnic MinorityHomeless People, Oxford City Council Housing Department, November 2001


rents.61 The government led expansion of higher education and the steady increase in thenumber of students present at Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University has resulted ina rise in the number of Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMO), many of these HMOs are in EastOxford.

A close-knit community

East Oxford is home to the Pakistani Muslim community that developed following chainmigration led by single male migrants who were then joined by their wives and children.62 Asimilar pattern can now be seen evolving among the Afghan refugee community, which isbeginning to establish itself through networks of single male migrants from the same fewvillages in Hazarajat settling in the area. Since the first settlement of Pakistani migrants in EastOxford they have sought to buy housing near each other, and near the amenities of shops andmosques. Some of them are now benefiting from the very competitive housing market in EastOxford as landlords, and others are now suffering from it as tenants. It is not possible to talk ofa whole community suffering deprivation, it is necessary to look inside that community andidentify those with the knowledge and capacity to take advantage of the housing market, andthose without that knowledge or capacity. The latter often includes women, dependentchildren and new migrants who have not yet acquired language skills.

It is especially difficult to reveal and respond to these intra-community relationships in a smallcity. In Kirklees the Muslim population was part of a much larger Muslim population extendinginto Leeds and Bradford. Hackney’s Muslims were part of a London-wide population. It wastherefore possible in both local authorities for interpreters, housing officers or social workerswith the appropriate language skills and cultural background to live with some separation fromthe community they worked with. In Oxford, such professional distance is harder to maintain.Within the Oxford Pakistani community virtually every Punjabi speaker is known to every otherPunjabi speaker, and within the even smaller Bangladeshi community every Sylheti speaker isknown to every other Sylheti speaker. Anyone from these communities who requires aninterpreter will usually find themselves with little choice but to speak through someone theyknow. Establishing confidential services to offer support and advice to vulnerable communitymembers is a very difficult, but vital, task.63

Routes into social rented accommodation

One of the routes into the social-rented sector most often cited was by women with childrenleaving the family home following domestic violence. However, there was a huge reluctanceamong women to take this path not only because of the community stigma, but also becauseof the difficulties of living in temporary (first stage) accommodation. Living in bed andbreakfast accommodation, where the kitchen and bathroom might be shared with non-Muslimfamilies, was especially difficult.64

Overcrowding was the other main reason for becoming statutorily homeless and seekingaccommodation in the social-rented sector. People began living in the extended family hoping

2961 East Oxford Housing Improvement (Health and Safety) Project, 2002

62 Shaw, Alison, A Pakistani Community in Britain, Routledge, 1988

63 “Finding the Asian Women's Helpline was like a door being opened from a world of darkness. I was helped andbrought out of the worst situation I've ever been in. I couldn't have done it alone.” Oxford Asian Women's Helpline,Annual report 2002/2003

64 Interview Oxford Housing Rights


it would work out, and then the arrangements broke down. If the wait in temporaryaccommodation became unbearably long, the homeless household would opt to seekaccommodation in the private sector and would then lose the opportunity to move on tosecond stage (permanent) accommodation.

John Kallie Court is a sheltered housing scheme which was developed for BME tenants. Thetake up by Muslim tenants demonstrates the emerging need for sheltered housing for olderMuslims. The existence of the Oxford Asian Carers Centre is also evidence that families living inOxford are not able to care for their own relatives at home without additional support from thevoluntary sector.

Affordable housing

The high premium on all housing in Oxford has meant that the right to buy on any housing hasbeen much sought after. Just as in Kirklees, Muslims interviewed did not perceive as fair theway in which social housing was allocated. Why was it that a four-bedroom house that couldhave provided a large home to a growing family was no longer available in the social rentedsector, but was instead owner-occupied by a married couple whose own children had grownup and left home?65

As the social-rented accommodation sector contracts it has become more and more difficult toallocate properties with any regard to the creation of sustainable mixed communities withaccess to specialist services. A focus group discussion of BME tenants (including Muslims) raisedconcerns with OCHA about the allocation of properties. In response, OCHA explained theconstraints that it was working under: the nominations process to all social rentedaccommodation was in the hands of the Council. Only the Council could address theseconcerns of the housing-association tenants. OCHA is hoping to work with Oxford City Councilon a Local Lettings Plan that will allow them to let in a balanced way, however this will rely onco-operation from the City Council and expanded scope within the social-rented sector.66

Asylum-seekers and refugees

At the time that Oxford City Council was drawing up its Housing Strategy for 2003–2004 thenumber of asylum-seekers supported by Oxfordshire Social Services was 1100, including 95unaccompanied minors. The Council acknowledged that refugees encounter a number ofadditional problems in securing appropriate accommodation and access to support services,beyond those experienced by the resident BME homeless groups. One of the most notableproblems concerns the negative stereotypical image of refugees. They also routinely encounterlanguage difficulties and a lack of knowledge of the welfare services system. A lack of socialnetworks means that they do not learn about particular services or facilities through word ofmouth.67 In Oxford as elsewhere, because refugees and asylum-seekers have little politicalleverage, they are a low priority for resource allocation.

3065 Interview Sure Start, Rosehill

66 OCHA Asian, Black and Minority Ethnic Focus Group, February 2003

67 see Matthias 2001, Managing to Survive — Asylum Seekers, refugees and access to social housing, by R. Zetter andM. Pearl of Oxford Brookes University pp28–29


31

K came to the UK as an asylum-seeker with her husband and three school-age children.They were provided with housing in East Oxford in the private rental sector by OxfordshireSocial Services. Her husband was found guilty of domestic violence. The immigration statusof K and her children was as of dependents of her husband. In order to continue toreceive housing and subsistence support for herself and her children after an injunctionwas placed on her husband entering the family home K had to make an asylum claim inher own right. She is now in temporary housing association accommodation. Throughouther ordeal K had to rely on her children to act as her interpreters in her dealings with thepolice, social services, and housing officers.


Conclusions and recommendations

A MINORITY-FAITH GROUP

Findings: The research and development plans of housing providers and other statutory andvoluntary services are shaped in part by a requirement from government or from funders tomonitor ethnicity. By contrast, there is interest, but little experience, in monitoring religiousidentity. The absence of reliable data on minority-faith communities poses serious challenges toestablishing the extent of discrimination against Muslims.

Recommendations: Develop local baseline data for Muslims and establish how far they are, orare not, discriminated against. Encourage the dissemination of best practice with regard tomeeting the needs of Muslims, and other faith groups, by including meeting the needs ofminority-faith groups as one of the themes for Councils to be accorded Beacon status.

A MINORITY FAITH GROUP THAT ENCOMPASSES DIVERSITY

Several Housing Corporation Innovation and Good Practice projects have already emphasisedthe wide diversity between and among BME communities, showing how their needs havechanged over time. Diversity arises from differences in demographic factors such as age andhousehold type, culture and religion, expectations and aspirations, the period a particularcommunity has lived in this country, current housing situation and socio-economic position.68

This is as true of the Muslim population, as of any other minority group.

■ Socio-economic position

Findings: While a section of the Muslim population enjoy safe and comfortable housing, alarger proportion are living in poor housing, and are vulnerable to the associated problems ofunsafe neighbourhoods. The experiences of the poorest sections of the Muslim population aremasked by the inclusion in the census within the broad category Muslim of a proportion ofpeople who are relatively affluent.

Recommendation: Develop sharper research tools than the census to identify the poorestsections of the Muslim population, and to direct support to them.

■ Gender

Findings: Housing histories are affected by gender, and the changing pattern of female, aswell as male, opportunities and outlooks may be one of the main determinants of future urbanforms. Two trends in household composition away from vertically extended households emergefrom the data. Firstly, the 11% of Muslim households where there is a lone-parent suggestrising levels of family breakdown. Secondly, the 15% of Muslim one person households reflect

32

68 Matthias, p5


the independent status of high achieving single professionals, and the marginality of ex-offenders and the mentally ill.

Recommendations: Tackle homelessness not only among households with dependentchildren, but also among single men and women.

■ Age / children

Findings: Muslim children are more likely to live in overcrowded accommodation and to haveno adult in the household in employment, than the rest of the population. When moving awayfrom the family home, Muslim young people would prefer to find accommodation near theirparents.

Recommendations: Develop indicators for the material deprivation of children, as well as theirparents, when monitoring household poverty. Acknowledge the religious identity of childrenand mobilise the social capital of Muslim communities to help meet the needs of Muslimchildren.

■ Age / older people

Findings: There is a limited, but growing, demand for independent accommodation for olderMuslims. In some instances this reflects the wishes of the older people themselves and inothers the difficulty of the younger generation in providing a home for their elders.

Recommendations: Ensure information about sheltered accommodation reaches older peopleand their families. Acknowledge the religious identity of older people in the provision ofsheltered accommodation.

■ Immigration status, and length of residence in the UK

Findings: The predominantly Muslim countries of Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia have all beenamong the five main countries of origin of asylum seekers to the UK for at least four of the lastfive years.69 Newly arrived refugees from these countries have little access to social networksand rely upon the already strained resources of existing communities. Women and childrenwhose immigration status is as dependents have particular difficulties in accessing services at atime of family breakdown.

Recommendations: Counter the stigmatization of asylum-seekers by public bodies, provideasylum-seekers with safe and decent accommodation near existing communities, and supportexisting communities in their efforts to integrate new arrivals. Protect women and childrenwhose immigration status is as dependents at a time of family breakdown.

33

69 Asylum in the UK: an IPPR Fact File, Institute for Public Policy Research, 2003, http:// www.ippr.org


■ Transnational commitments

Findings: Many Muslims have continuing relations with family members in another country.Absences can cause difficulties for those left in Britain, including a fall in income and non-payment of means tested benefits. The arrival of relatives moving to Britain temporarily cancause overcrowding, and if these relatives speak no English, or are elderly, or in ill health, theyincrease the burden of care.

Recommendations: Work with Muslim communities to develop flexible support services forhouseholds under strain. Extend the work of carers’ centres to meet the need for appropriatesupport and respite for carers in Muslim households.

A MINORITY FAITH GROUP THAT VALUES MAINSTREAM GOOD PRACTICE IN HOUSING

■ Community safety

Findings: Muslim tenants value the opportunity to live in a neighbourhood where they feelsafe. They do not necessarily want Muslim neighbours, just good neighbours. Parents areparticularly concerned about the influence upon their children of people living nearby.

Recommendations: Develop a Local Lettings Plan through which the Council and the othersocial rented sector work together to create mixed communities and a culture where all tenantscan feel safe and comfortable.

■ Mobility and access to amenities

Findings: Most Muslims want to live within easy reach of other family members first andforemost. They also want to be within driving distance of, or have access by public transportto, community amenities. A significant number of households would be prepared to moveaway from the traditional community areas, if a number of households were relocated at thesame time.

Recommendations: Plan to alleviate overcrowding through the relocation of groups ofhouseholds to alternative sites. At the same time plan for the development of communityamenities such as schools and mosques with good public transport links.

■ Access to information

Findings: Significant sections within the Muslim population do not have easy access toinformation and services. Muslim women are particularly dependent on the men in theirhousehold for access to information and services. The growing use of the telephone andrecorded responses can exacerbate language barriers. The location and culture of offices can beoff-putting. Where link persons with particular language skills or knowledge of the communityare in post, these persons can become gate-keepers to the wider range of services.

34


Recommendations: Think in terms not of hard-to-reach communities, but hard-to-reachservices. Ensure these hard-to-reach services are part of community networks. Map the way inwhich vulnerable members of communities would reach these services. Ensure greaterawareness about services provided by statutory and voluntary sector organisations, and moreinformation in relevant community languages to encourage greater take-up of services. Do notrely on children to act as interpreters.

HOUSING DESIGN AND SERVICE DELIVERY

Findings: Several relatively simple steps were raised that would meet the housing needs ofMuslim in terms of design.70

Recommendations: Housing providers should follow the guidance set out in ‘AccommodatingDiversity’. This presents cost effective options for incorporating the religious and cultural needsof diverse communities, including Muslims, into housing design — for example, providingseparate living areas to allow for zonings for gender, including generous space for storage andfood preparation in the design of kitchens, noting the appropriate orientation of WCs and therequirement to provide facilities for ritual washing, etc.

In addition, the contractors undertaking maintenance should be aware that they should covershoes to comply with health and safety requirements and with Islamic norms.

35

70 This is one area of Muslim housing needs which has been researched previously see Ratcliffe et al p59


Select bibliography

36

■ Bowes Alison, Naira Dar and Duncan Sim,‘Too White, Too Rough, and Too ManyProblems’: a study of Pakistani Housing inBritain, Housing Policy and Practice Unit,University of Stirling, 1998

■ Britain’s Poorest Children: severe andpersistent poverty and social exclusion, Savethe Children, 2003

■ Choudhury, Tufyal, Monitoring the EUAccession Process: Minority Protection Vol II,Open Society Institute, 2002, pp362–447

■ Cole, Ian and Robinson, David, SomaliHousing Experiences in England, Centre forRegional Economic and Social Research,Sheffield Hallam University, 2003

■ Coleman, David, and Salt, John (eds),Ethnicity in the 1991 Census: Vol.1Demographic characteristics of the ethnicminority population, 1991

■ Farnell, Richard; Furbey, Robert; Sham All-Haqq Hills, Stephen; Macey, Marie’ Smith,Greg, ‘Faith’ in urban regeneration?Engaging faith communities in urbanregeneration, The Policy Press, 2003

■ Holman, Christine and Holman, Naomi,Orthodox Jewish Housing Need in StamfordHill, De Montfort University, Leicester,August 2001

■ Holman, Christine and Holman, Naomi,Torah, worship and acts of loving kindness:Baseline indicators for the Charedicommunity in Stamford Hill, De MontfortUniversity, Leicester, November 2002

■ Holman, Christine and Holman, Naomi, Firststeps in a new country: baseline indicatorsfor the Somali community in LB Hackney,June 2003

■ Institute for Public Policy Research Matthias,Asylum in the UK: an IPPR Fact File, 2003

■ Joe, Meeting the Needs of Black andMinority Ethnic Communities, HousingCorporation, 2001

■ Modood, Tariq and Berthaud, Richard,Ethnic Minorities in Britain: Diversity andDisadvantage, 1997

■ National Housing Federation,Accommodating Diversity: housing design ina multicultural society, 1998

■ North London Muslim Housing Association,Understanding the Housing Needs andAspirations of the Muslim Communities: Acase study of the Royal Borough ofKensington and Chelsea, 2004

■ North London Muslim Housing Association,Housing plus needs of the young Muslims inHackney, 2000

■ North London Muslim Housing AssociationHousing plus faith: Working with Muslimtenants, 2000 (video)

■ Philipson, Chris; Ahmed, Nilufar andLatimer, Joanna, Women in transition: astudy of the experiences of Bangladeshiwomen living in Tower Hamlets, The PolicyPress, April 2003

■ Phillips, Deborah, Asian mobility in Leedsand Bradford, School of Geography,University of Leeds, 2002

■ Ratcliffe, Peter with Malcolm Harrison,Rachel Hogg, Bob Line, Deborah Phillips,Richard Tomlins and Anne Power, BreakingDown the Barriers: Improving Asian Accessto Social Rented Housing, CharteredInstitute of Housing, 2001

■ Shaw, Alison, A Pakistani Community inBritain, Routledge, 1988

■ Skaburskis, Andrejs, ‘Gender Differences inHousing Demand’, Urban Studies, Vol.34No.2, pp275–320, 1997

■ Somerville, Peter, Social Relations and SocialExclusion: Rethinking political economy,Routledge, 2000

■ Stanley, Kate, “Home is not just a place tokeep our stuff”: a study of the effects ofliving in temporary accommodation onchildren in Oxford City, Save the Children,2002

■ Young People and Housing Associations,Housing Corporation, September 2002

Muslim housing experiences

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Muslim housing experiences - The Guardian