Kai Jackson talks to Housing Digital editor, Mark Cantrell about her research into the woeful under-representation of ethnic minority tenants in formal engagement structures
Curiosity can take us in unexpected directions sometimes.
For Kai Jackson, it took her on a journey of inquiry that led to the publication of a vital report that asks an important – perhaps for some, an impertinent – question: Is There a Seat at the Table?
Jackson’s landmark research – subtitled Ethnic Minority Voices in Tenant Engagement – found that tenants from such backgrounds are woefully under-represented within formal engagement structures.
The report presents some stark findings. They include:
- 94% of tenants surveyed said their landlord could do more to ensure tenants from a wider range of backgrounds have a voice
- 94% of housing staff recognised they could be doing more, yet only 48% reported undertaking specific outreach work
- 61.5% of staff reported that tenant panels do not reflect the demographic of their tenant base
- 64% of housing provider websites reviewed contained no ethnic minority representation in tenant engagement imagery
Inspiration for the project came from lived experience. In 2021 Jackson was elected chair of her social landlord’s scrutiny panel, taking to the role of engaged tenant with gusto.
Driven by a desire to further her personal development – the better to conduct her role – and curiosity to learn more about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ workings of the sector, Jackson attended as many free conferences and meetings as she could.
“I’m not going to say I’m much of a nerd, but – yeah,” she tells Housing Digital, ever-so-slightly tongue in cheek.
There’s nothing light-hearted about the subject matter of her report, of course. It was during this round of events that she began to notice a certain absence that would ultimately be fleshed out in her report.
As Jackson noted in the preface, as she became more immersed in the sector’s work, the more aware she became of how few tenants of colour she encountered.
“The more events I attended, the more it became apparent that this wasn’t an isolated occurrence,” she wrote. “I thought the sector was missing out on a perspective of lived experience that is valuable to making fundamental changes for all tenants.”
Joining a tenant scrutiny panel, then, has led Jackson to do more than simply hold her own landlord to account; through her research and report, she’s ended up scrutinising the sector itself. But she hasn’t just diagnosed a problem, she presents a set of recommendations to ensure greater representation.
One for all
“The few people that did look like me [at these meetings] really talked about the barriers and the complications that they faced within their own organisation when being part of a scrutiny panel, or being part of tenant engagement,” Jackson says.
“It wasn’t easy for them to to engage, so it seemed like there was a concern there. My concern ultimately was if the Social Housing Regulation Act emphasises the importance of having tenant voice and experience as part of decision-making processes, then everybody should be involved in that, and everybody’s experiences should be represented.”
She adds: “If you have a demographic that isn’t represented, then you don’t get the full rounded experience of what tenants are facing.”
Is There a Seat at the Table? was published earlier this year by Tpas. Jackson, who is now special membership projects lead for the organisation, was then working with it as an associate. She was supported in her research project by Dr Gareth Young from the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE), and Louise Holt from Tpas.
As the report explores, the barriers to involvement are many; both subtle and unsubtle. Some doubtless cut across all demographics living within the tenure, though exacerbated by inter-sectional factors. Others are a product of historic and systemic issues that impact people from minority ethnic backgrounds and heritage.
Inevitably, perhaps, recent reports from Shelter and Heriot-Watt University – that called out the sector for racism and discrimination – spring to mind, although Jackson was independently ploughing her own furrow in her research.
“It continues to paint a bigger picture on the systemic issues that residents from ethnic minority backgrounds are facing within the sector,” Jackson says. “It also provides additional layers, but the difference between my report and what they’ve done is that this report provides some kind of support through governance and decision making.
“[The report] gives the organisation practical tools on engagement with residents, so if there’s issues with homelessness or allocation it gives them those tools to actually engage with residents and understand where the issues are.”
Bridging the divide
As she explains, her recommendations provide a “bridge to start conversations” that can play a part in the tackling the issues raised in those other reports.
“There’s a lot of expansion that could be made between the three different reports, and I think that’s important to understand,” she says. But even without such issues, the barriers are real and present, as Jackson explains in her report.
Communication is one clear area; or rather the lack of it. As Jackson says: “A lot of residents didn’t even know that they could engage. There’s no active process in that. We also found that there were barriers when it came to signing up to be part of the scrutiny panel or any type of engagement.”
Presentation is another factor that can be off-putting. Promotional materials – be they print or online – may present an inadvertent image of exclusion. As Jackson, says “pictures speak in a thousand words”. People look for themselves, as it were, and if they don’t see themselves reflected, then it’s not a huge leap to feel unwelcome. Representing diversity matters.
“If a lot of your website doesn’t include tenants from ethnic minority backgrounds, you don’t feel like you could be a part of the discussions,” Jackson adds.
There are language barriers, too; as well as what we might call scheduling conflicts. The realities of everyday day life for tenants doesn’t necessarily slot neatly in to nine-to-five timetables, emphasising a need for engagement meetings to be held at different times.
“A lot of residents wanted to have more informal engagement as well; not just the formal side of it where you sit down for teas and coffees,” Jackson adds. “They wanted to be a part of community events; they wanted to see their landlords as part of community events that represented them.”
Jackson set herself some key tasks for the report. The first, obviously, was to ascertain the current levels of involvement among ethnic minority tenants, and from that seek to identify and understand the variety of barriers to engagement they encountered.
She also set to examine how social landlords sought to promote and encourage participation, and then set out to consider the ways ethnic minority engagement can be improved. Crucially, throughout this, Jackson has set out to present the voice of tenants.
At the heart of the report, and one of its key recommendations, is the TABLE framework. As the report explains, these are a set of steps aimed to “create a more inclusive, respectful, and effective” approach to tenant engagement:
- T: Tailored training
- A: Actively engaging communities
- B: Bringing everyone into the conversation
- L: Listening to voices
- E: Ethnic minorities
Trust and respect
Naturally, given the findings, improving communication and awareness tops the bill of recommendations. This includes implementing a targeted marketing strategy to ensure tenants – especially from a BME background – are aware of formal engagement opportunities. Materials need to be accessible and address language barriers, and provided in culturally sensitive formats
Other recommendations cover building trust and respect; addressing systemic barriers to engagement; developing staff knowledge and cultural competency; strengthen data collection and analysis; increase funding and resources for targeted engagement; implement community led initiatives; as well as monitor and measure progress.
All told, Jackson has diagnosed and identified a problem; more importantly, she’s devised a programme of measures to improve matters. As ever, with so much in the sector pressing for attention, perhaps the most pertinent question of all is – will social landlords heed her call for change?
Time will tell on that one, but Jackson herself remains quietly optimistic. And, of course, she continues to push the message through her work with Tpas.
“We’re at a time in social housing where there’s so much change happening,” Jackson says. “If we’re going to make some kind of impact and influence, now is the time to get in there while we’re in the consultation phases – while things can be changed and adapted.”
Tenants are already pushing for change, she points out; now they must be heard, and Jackson is determined to use her platform to help amplify the message.
“I’ve always said I’m not the voice for tenants,” she says, “but I am a voice to echo the tenants.”
Main image: Kai Jackson, special membership projects lead, Tpas, at the parliamentary launch of her report, Is There a Seat at the Table?
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