Locked Out episode three: housing for Black and minoritised survivors

The impacts of the housing crisis are wide reaching and intersectional: colliding with other social issues like cuts to specialist women’s services and a wider environment of institutionalised racism and discrimination. Black and minoritized survivors of violence against women and girls face multiple barriers to safe and secure housing – from discrimination by frontline professionals, to cultural and language barriers, and a lack of specialist tailored support to meet their needs.

Specialist by and for BME women’s organisations have been the hardest hit by cuts to vital agencies working with survivors of violence against women and girls. As resources are shrinking, demand for these services is skyrocketing, not least because rates of domestic abuse have been on the rise during the Coronavirus pandemic.

In episode three of Locked Out, Commonweal’s new podcast on the links between housing and social injustice, we spoke to Gabriella Quevedo and Christina Ioannou of Latin American Women’s Aid (LAWA), to talk about why BME women are so often prevented from accessing the housing they need, and how specialist, by and for BME agencies can be better supported to meet their needs.

Reflecting on the issues highlighted in LAWA colleague Rosa de Ventos Lopes Heimer’s essay in the Locked Out anthology, Christina and Gabriella discussed a range of issues related to the housing needs of BME survivors, including expert training and support, the benefits and negatives of providing digital support in the time of COVID-19, and what meaningful representation looks like.

Listen to the episode on all podcast streaming platforms, or subscribe on BuzzSprout here.

Read the Locked Out anthology >>