Housing Management in a Diverse Population - Assignment Example

Running Head: Housing Management Housing Management in a Diverse Population (School) July 17, 2006 Housing Management in a Diverse Population Hammersmith & Fulham and Lambeth are two boroughs located in Inner London, but each has its unique demographics and problems. Their differences, though not major, call for different solutions. Over the past few years, the population of the United Kingdom, especially in the London area, has increased in ethnicity with the advent of refugees, especially from Asia and Africa. Housing these people, many of whom are poor and lacking in English skills, is having an effect on housing management and the clients who move into various housing units, leading to issues of homelessness and poverty. These people often do not understand what procedures they must follow in order to attain proper housing. Demographics Lambeth, located just north of London Central, is one of the most highly populated boroughs in the City of London. According to the 2001 Census, the population was 266,169 and as of 2004 has risen to 268,100 (Lambeth, 2006). Hammersmith & Fulham, somewhat smaller in area than Lambeth, west of London Central, shows a lower census in 2001: 165,242, with a greater increase to 176,800 in 2004 (Hammersmith, 2006). Census figures as of 2001 show that Hammersmith & Fulham had a much higher percentage of White residents (78%) than Lambeth (62%). Ethnic groups for Hammersmith in 2001 were comprised of 5% black Caribbean and 5% black African, whilst Lambeth figures show 12% black Caribbean and 12% black African. More recent figures (2004) show additional ethnic groups: South Asian and Chinese in Lambeth and South Asian only in Hammersmith (Lambeth, 2006; Hammersmith, 2006), a factor which has brought about issues that did not exist previously. Both of these boroughs were formed in 1965. Hammersmith & Fulham is best known for sporting successes in area Football Clubs and in Rowing. It is known internationally as the site of the 1908 Olympics, of more interest now that the 2012 Olympics will be played in London. The neighbourhood is mixed, with affluent as well as deprived neighbourhoods. Lambeth is developing a tourist economy around the South Bank and takes pride in its many parks. The Shakespeare Globe Theatre is located in nearby Southwark, a borough that Lambeth has interacted with. An overview indicates that Lambeth is not showing the population growth that is the case in Hammersmith & Fulham, but they have far more ethnic residents than Hammersmith. The above map issued by the London Research Centre in 1996 indicates that Hammersmith & Fulham is below average in ethnic composition, whilst Lambeth is above average. This is borne out in the 2001 Census. The composition of a specific area has a major affect on all aspects of the area, especially in housing. Both areas have shown increased housing needs. But Lambeth has an above-average number of council flats and Hammersmith & Fulham is average in that respect. In both boroughs, it is specifically in the social rent sector that there is an inadequate supply of permanent new dwellings. Housing needs surveys Lambeth has been considered one of London's rather scruffy boroughs according to Letsrentaproperty's Area Guide (2005). As an area that suffers from high levels of both crime and poverty, it has its share of problems. It covers an area of 7 miles from the Thames to the North to the border of Croydon in the South. It is densely populated with a large community of black Caribbeans (Area Guide, 2006). One area showing improvement is Streatham which has captured the attention of young professionals, who prefer to rent. Its greatest need, according to the Area Guide, would seem to be a tube station in this area to offset the busy roads. According to the Private Sector Rents Bulletin (2005), the Mayor's London Plan and the London Housing Strategy are planning to increase housing supply in the capital. One policy is to enhance and modernise the private rented sector in an effort to meet housing needs. Comparing average rents in Hammersmith & Fulham and Lambeth shows higher rents for Hammersmith, perhaps because of the greater number of council housing units and larger number of refugees in Lambeth. Even so, the general view among stakeholders is that there is an acute shortage of affordable housing in Hammersmith that shows no signs of abating (Fordham, 2004). In addition, the Fordham survey shows that minimum rents have risen by an average of 19% in the last survey. The bottom line is "build more affordable housing." Housing strategy statement According to the Fordham report (2004), the theme of Government policy is to examine the whole market as part of developing local Housing Strategies, and planning and housing departments should work together to understand local housing requirements. The study in Hammersmith & Fulham began by following the Basic Needs Assessment Model, which estimated whether the need for affordable dwellings is being met, with "a shortfall of 3,650 dwellings per annum (for the next five years). This is a significant shortfall that cannot possibly be met unless the highest targets and lowest thresholds for affordable housing are met" (Fordham: Conclusions, 2004). In Lambeth, the strategy is to "bring all council properties up to 21st century standards by 2010 to meet the government's Decent Homes standard" (Delivering, 2006, par. 6). Their Housing Needs Survey shows a need for 4,213 affordable homes each year, over the next five years. In comparison with the Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, it must be noted that Lambeth has the highest percentage of ethnic population in all of London at 38%. The figure for Hammersmith in 2001 was 18.6%. Chart: Ethnic Composition of Lambeth from 2001 Census Returns (Housing Strategy, 2004, p. 12) The Lambeth statement notes that because of disadvantage and discrimination in the housing market, ethnic minority households tend to be highly dependent on social housing, and, according to the 2001 Census, 41% of households in Lambeth live in social rented housing, the highest in Inner London. In the Hammersmith & Fulham housing needs statement (Fordham, 2004), specific assumptions are made in regard to Black and Minority ethnic households: Chinese & Other and Asian households have a larger average household size than other households Black households were more likely than the Borough as a whole to be living in the social rented sector White households are particularly likely to consist of only older people whereas Asian households were more likely to contain someone with a special need Fordham Research, 2004 D. The Needs of Particular Groups The figures no doubt bear out these statements, but they show a need throughout London to learn more about the cultures of refugee residents and the importance of family unity, especially in Asian households. Communication is a key issue in making an effort to meet housing needs in these two boroughs. Rachel Gosling (2000) targets young refugees as facing a number of barriers when accessing services in Lambeth, not the least of which is communication. The same issues would be present in Hammersmith & Fulham, perhaps even more so because the refugee population in this Borough is lower than in Lambeth, though increasing more rapidly, and so far, there is less initiative to improve communication. Homelessness Strategy Broadwaylondon (2004) defines homelessness as someone who is without anywhere to stay or someone who is vulnerably housed in temporary accommodation. People are also homeless if their accommodation is not permanent such as living with friends or family or squatting. Broadway is predominately a homeless agency providing services to supporting people such as women who have suffered from domestic violence and are looking for shelter, and those who are struggling with substance abuse, as well as people who might be categorised as ex-offenders (Broadway, 2005). Because of the shortage in housing for letting in Lambeth, most families spend around 5-8 months in temporary accommodations and most single people around 8-12 months before permanent rehousing. Lambeth's strategy does not at present offer any specific recourse except for setting a target of 61% of all lettings to homeless households. They did note that "reduction in procurement costs of temporary accommodation achieved a saving of 1.774m in 2004/05" (Lambeth: LA Efficiency, 2005) which would indicate an effort is being made to accommodate the homeless. Hammersmith & Fulham, through extensive advertising, informed landlords and estate agents of the opportunity to lease their properties to the Council. The proportion of the Private Sector Leasing Scheme has therefore increased from 474 in 2003/04 to 596 in 2004/05, an increase of 25% (Hammersmith: LA Efficiency, 2005). Socio-economic Conditions 1. Unemployment Since 1997, unemployment figures for Hammersmith & Fulham and Lambeth have been as follows: Borough 1997-1998 1999-2000 2001-2002 % % % ONS Labour Force Survey 2004 It is evident from the above figures that Lambeth has had a much higher unemployment rate in the past, but in keeping with the increased number of refugees and asylum seekers in both these areas since the beginning of the 21st century, a more equal percentage exists between these two boroughs. It has been estimated that over half of the international migration to the UK comes to London. Refugees and asylum seekers experience some of the greatest difficulties in acquiring housing. Frustrations faced by these people in terms of language and finding employment can be compounded by trauma, isolation and anxiety. (London Research Centre, 1997) 2. Rents and lettings According to the Private Sector Rents Bulletin (2005), rent levels in the London boroughs are on the rise, even though there had been a decline in previous years. The increase is mostly for various sizes of self-contained housing, ranging from a five percent increase for one-bedroom housing to a 12 per cent increase for two-bedroom housing. Hammersmith & Fulham show rents higher than all other boroughs combined, with the exception only of Westminster, Central London, and the City of London (Private Sector, 2005). Reasons for this are not immediately evident, but a study of this anomaly might be in order. As part of the strategy for tackling shortages in affordable housing, the Mayor's London Plan and the London Housing Strategy have targets for increasing housing supply. Policies for enhancing and modernising the private rented sector are in place so that as large a contribution as possible can be made (Private Sector, 2005). Social Problems 1. Crime In keeping with the possibility that young people are apt to start anti-social behavior at an early age, an effort is being made in several boroughs to address Beatbullying. It seems to be less a problem in Hammersmith & Fulham than in Lambeth, but the BB Panel hosted by the Kingswood City Learning Centre has expressed its intention to activate the Panel process, which for a time has been on hold (Hammersmith, 2003). Lambeth, on the other hand, has developed an extensive anti-bullying campaign, based on experience, and has created an interactive website: www.bbclic.com launched on October 20, 2004, which is a unique development in Europe as well as in the UK (Lambeth: Spin the Word, 2003). Under the National Evaluation of the New Deal for Communities (Hirschfield, 2001) an effort is being made to determine what makes some neighborhoods more vulnerable to crime than others. Two suggestions for improvement are increased surveillance and an active home watch. Lambeth received higher allocations than Hammersmith & Fulham, even though Hammersmith was not among the areas with the lowest crime. Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) are multi-agency bodies intended to reduce offending by children and have been shown to be successful. Whilst Lambeth is very high on the list of crime prevention funds and can therefore take advantage of these programs, Hammersmith & Fulham is at the very bottom (Hirschfield, 2001). Conclusion As populations increase and ethnicity continues on the rise, especially in urban areas such as Lambeth and Hammersmith & Fulham in Inner London, it is evident that lack of language skills and communication become more and more of an issue. Can a refugee who lacks English skills find a sustainable livelihood Will such a person find suitable housing and will an effort be made by the housing authorities to understand and address cultural differences Two efforts being made in Hammersmith are the Iranian Association's attempt to tackle issues such as arranged marriages and so-called "honour killings" as well as domestic violence and a grant made to the Outside Edge Theatre Company using drama to increase awareness of the way drugs and alcohol can lead to domestic violence. Lambeth's efforts to encourage activities for young people indicate a willingness to go to the source of a problem to solve it before it gets out of hand. Also, Lambeth is more amenable to working with several agencies in partnership across boroughs making contacts intended to improve the achievements of young people (Lambeth and Southwark, 2005). Throughout this paper, it is evident that Lambeth has a broader range of issues to be solved than Hammersmith & Fulham. It would, however, appear that Hammersmith is heading in the same direction, and Lambeth's problems will be faced by Hammersmith as well unless they pay more attention to their growing refugee population, lack of sufficient housing, need for more inter-agency work, and apparent avoidance of how these issues can be resolved. The focus in both these boroughs should be on learning more about the variety of cultures they are serving and how best to communicate with people whose language and customs are so different from other tenants. The Refugee Education Awards Scheme is perhaps the most important plan to be followed in the future. Challenge Fund Fifteen London refugee projects have received a total of 640,000 from the Home Office Challenge Fund as part of nearly 2 million being awarded nationally to support schemes to help refugees integrate, work and participate in UK society (Key Issues, 2003). It is important for Lambeth and Hammersmith to address employment issues, poverty, education, household composition, and look to the future, making an effort to increase interactive programs on computer and in the neighbourhood in order to increase knowledge of the various cultural differences they are now facing, differences that will become more and more evident and more varied considering the unrest that exists in the world now. The refugees and asylum seekers in London's boroughs have brought their own specific problems into the housing mix, and Lambeth and Hammersmith & Fulham would do well to partner as much as possible with other boroughs to resolve their common issues. The statistics and research in this paper makes this need very clear. In addition, focusing on how housing needs can be met with the units already available, some of which are empty units, is a priority. An issue not really addressed in this paper is discrimination which clearly exists. Most housing strategies emphasise their efforts to avoid discrimination, but nonetheless the problem continues. Because black Africans, black Caribbeans and other minorities make up the majority of social housing tenants, interaction is not as easy as one would wish. With the majority of tenants in these boroughs listed as white, it is far too easy for them to keep to themselves and not make any effort to understand their ethnic neighbours. References Area guide to Lambeth. (2005). Letsrentaproperty [online]. Retrieved July 14, 2006, from http://www.lentsrentaproperty.com/area-guides/lambeth.html Broadway. (2005). London Supporting People Strategy. Call for evidence: Broadway's response. Retrieved July 16, 2006, from http://www.broadwaylondon.org/broadwayvoice/policy/broadways_response.pdf BroadwayLondon. 2004. Homelessness and Anti-Social Behaviour Fact Sheet. Retrieved July 16, 2006, from http://www.broadwaylondon.org/broadwayvoice/policy/anti__social_behaviour.pdf Delivering Decent Homes. (2006, July 16). London Borough of Lambeth. Retrieved July 16, 2006, from http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/HousingPlanning/ImprovementsRepairs/DeliveringDecentHomes.htm Fordham Research. (2004). Housing Study: Hammersmith & Fulham. Retrieved July 15, 2006, from http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/Images/HNS_Summary_tcm21-25086.pdf Gosling, Rachel. (2000, July). The Needs of Young Refugees in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham. Community Health South London, NHS Trust. Retrieved July 14, 2006, from http://66.102.7.104/searchq=cache:bBKDsXplT1UJ:www.lho.org.uk/download.aspx%3Furlid%3D8757%26urlt%3D1%26urlf%3DGosling2000LSL_4.pdf+Gosling+the+needs+of+young+immigrants&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1 Hammersmith. (2003). Beatbullying: BB panels. Retrieved 7-15-2006, from http://www.beatbullying.org/docs/hammersmith.html Hammersmith & Fulham. (last modified 2006, July 4). Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 15, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Borough_of_Hammersmith_and_Fulham Hammersmith: LA Efficiency Statements: London Hammersmith to London Westminster (2005). Department for Communities and Local Government. Retrieved July 16, 2006, from http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.aspid=1134676#TopOfPage Hirschfield, A. Johnson, S. & Bowers, K. (2001, December). Review of Major Policy Developments and Evidence Base: Crime Domain. National Evaluation of New Deal for Communities: Scoping Report. Retrieved July 15, 2006, from http://ndcevaluation.adc.shu.ac.uk/ndcevaluation/Documents/Scoping/Crime%20Review%20of%20Evidence.pdf Housing Strategy Statement 2004-2007. (2004). Lambeth. Retrieved July 16, 2006, from http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/571C454C-E78B-4892-9961-73C914C7308D/0/HousingStrategyStatement20042007.pdf Key Issues: 19 December 2003. ALG. Retrieved July 16, 2006, from http://www.alg.gov.uk/doc.aspdoc=10803&cat=1237 Lambeth. (last modified 2006, June 29). Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 15, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Borough_of_Lambeth Lambeth: LA Efficiency Statements: London Hammersmith to London Westminster (2005). Department for Communities and Local Government. Retrieved July 16, 2006, from http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.aspid=1134684#TopOfPage Lambeth and Southwark 14-19 Panels. (2005, September). Area-wide Post Inspection Action Plan 2005-2008. Learning and Skills Council London Central Centre Point. Retrieved July 14, 2006, from http://www.londoncentrallsc.gov.uk/upload/lclsc-web/1-1%20Home/Lambeth&SouthwarkAWI05-08_FINAL.pdf Lambeth: Spin the Word. (2003). Beatbullying: BB panels. Retrieved 7-14-2006, from http://www.beatbullying.org/docs/lambeth.html London Research Centre. (1996). London: a congregation of diversity. The Joint Industry Committee for Regional Press Research. London Research Centre. (1997). The Capital Divided. Asylum Statistics United Kingdom. Retrieved July 16, 2006, from http://www.londonshealth.gov.uk/pdf/lhs/hsfact2.pdf Private Sector Rents Bulletin. (2005). Mayor of London, Issue 4, 2005. Retrieved July 15, 2006, from http://66.102.7.104/searchq=cache:W7yGU7GAqHQJ:www.london.gov.uk/mayor/housing/rents_bull/rents_bull_issue4.rtf+Private+Sector+rents+bulletin+London&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1 Read More