The Black and Minority Ethnic Housing Crisis

By: Deborah Garvie
Published: September 2004

The Black and Minority Ethnic Housing Crisis

Homelessness increased by 77 per cent among BME (black and minority ethnic) households compared to 34 per cent among the general population. Over 30,000 BME households were homeless during 2003/04.

The report further reveals:

  • Homelessness among the African Caribbean population has risen two and a half times as fast since 1997 compared to the general population.

  • BME groups are disproportionately likely to suffer from poor housing; they are seven times more likely to live in overcrowded conditions than white households. People of Bangladeshi origin are particularly likely to suffer from overcrowding with over half of Bangladeshi children living in officially overcrowded conditions.

  • Twice as many BME households live in conditions deemed officially unfit for human habitation, compared to white households.