Housing associations do not have policies on race equality in many important areas of their work and even where they do they are failing to implement them.
New research for the Housing Corporation - published for the first time in Housing Today this week - says associations have good intentions on race equality but a poor track record in translating them into action.

Eighteen months after the Lawrence report, which showed that registered social landlords were not immune from institutional racism, the study shows:

  • 19 per cent of RSLs have not introduced any ethnic monitoring systems
  • 15 per cent do not have a racial harassment policy
  • 82 per cent do not keep records of customer satisfaction by ethnicity
  • Only around half of all RSLs' race equality policies covered tenant participation issues

Overall, associations lacked systems to put race equality policies into action. Only 21 per cent of those with race equality polices had action plans to implement them.

Richard Tomlins, principal lecturer in housing at De Montfort University, who carried out the research for the Housing Corporation said: "This kind of approach leaves a lot to chance.

"They had a commitment to addressing the issues but in terms of a commitment to follow through in a routine way as they would in other areas, it just wasn't there."

He added: "There's a big group of associations that are very progressive. But there's also a group who need the Housing Corporation to say this is a major priority, and you have to address it as critically as any other issues."

The findings follow damning research last year about the perceptions of black and minority ethnic staff within associations (Housing Today, September 1999)

The research is likely to the Housing Corporation's resolve to tighten up its regulation on race and equal opportunities.

"RSLs should expect race equality issues to be raised as a natural part of regulatory visits," said Tomlins.

The research also calls on the corporation to "annually and publicly" review how far the approved development programme and council funding reflects the distribution of BME communities.

The corporation is already undergoing an internal review of its own progress on promoting diversity - a process it has said it expects to see repeated throughout the sector.

  • More work is needed within and between councils and their partners to develop consistent monitoring and evaluation of racial harassment, a study of fifteen London boroughs has found. The research, for the London Housing Unit, found a significant variety of levels of victim and witness support.

    • Source

    Housing Today