Racial inequality hard-wired into housing system in England, study finds

The parents of Awaab Ishak, who died of black mould in a rented flat, told their landlord to ‘stop being racist’. Photograph: Family handout/PA

One in three black people who have experienced homelessness have also faced racial discrimination from a landlord, six times more than the general population of those who had struggled for shelter, a study reveals.

Academics at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh found black-led households reporting discrimination also face a risk of homelessness nearly 50% greater than that of a white-led household, even controlling for their socio-economic characteristics. Housing campaigners said the findings “should shame our country” and showed racial inequality was “hard-wired into our housing system”.