By Carl Davis Last Sunday the Bureau of Investigative Journalism published the findings of its investigation into the use of Antisocial Behaviour Injunctions ( ASBIs). Sent to jail for feeding the pigeons: the broken system of antisocial behaviour laws Their shocking report describes how mentally ill and other vulnerable people are being sent to prison… Continue reading ASB Injuctions: A Conveyor belt of Rough Justice
By Carl Davis A lot of the recent shocking media coverage on disrepair in the social housing sector focussed on huge remote and faceless corporate providers like Clarion, L&Q, and Notting Hill Genesis. But this fails to capture the experience of people housed by smaller, rogue and failing social landlords. For example, Chantele – not… Continue reading Little Rogue Landlords
By Carl Davis The National Housing Federation (NHF), a membership organisation representing more than 800 housing associations, recently teamed up with housing association Aster Group's diversity and inclusion lead to share Twitter tips on becoming a ‘Disability Confident’ employer, posted under the hashtag #NHFDiversity. The Disability Confident Employer scheme is a voluntary, government accredited initiative… Continue reading National Housing Federation’s Feeble Action on Equalities
The Equality Act 2010 requires housing associations to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ which allow disabled people to access the same opportunities and services as non-disabled people. It requires employers and providers to consider disability in everything they do and to actively anticipate the need for reasonable adjustments as far as possible. The onus is on landlords… Continue reading Disability Dossier: A Catalogue of Shame
By Carl Davis Not just an issue of staff training .. Last week Eddie Hughes, Minister for Rough Sleeping & Housing confirmed the launch of the Social Housing White Paper Professionalisation Review. The review will look at the qualifications currently available for staff, with landlords, residents and trade bodies invited to put forward recommendations. The… Continue reading Gaming the System
By Carl Davis The Equality Act 2010 requires that employers and service providers like social landlords make 'reasonable adjustments' that will allow disabled people to access the same opportunities and services as non-disabled people. It also requires employers and providers to consider disability in everything they do and to actively anticipate the need for reasonable… Continue reading The Anatomy of a Reasonable Adjustment
By Carl Davis Carl Davis reviews the report on challenging the stigmatization of social housing tenants in England, by Amanze Ejiogu and Mercy Denedo. The report sets out to fill the knowledge gap around the stigmatisation of social housing, and explain how and why people are judged negatively and even actively discriminated against simply because… Continue reading Not Welcome Here: The Social Housing Stigma
The SHAC Disability Charter Scheme will allow housing associations to bridge a gaping chasm between a landlord's fine words on equalities for disabled tenants and the tenant's own lived experience. The Charter Scheme is published here for consultation. You can leave suggestions in the comments section of this article, or email shac.action@gmail.com. Download the Charter… Continue reading Bridging the Disability Gap
