Housing Rights Workshop Series – Session 2: Social Housing

Join us and Shelter in a series of workshops targeted at professionals working in community organisations to help develop knowledge on social housing!

NOTE: If you are not a professional working in a community organisation but are interested in attending. We will be hosting another series of workshops later in the year aimed at community residents.

BSWN is partnering with Shelter to host a series of workshops targeted towards Black and Minoritised professional networks to help develop knowledge on social housing.

According to the 2020-21 English Housing Survey, households with an ethnic minority Household Reference Person (the person in whose name the accommodation is owned or rented) were more prevalent among social renters at 15%. 

With more than 20,000 people on the waiting list for social housing across Bristol, individuals from minoritised communities are disproportionately affected. Individuals from minoritised communities are likely to face barriers such as a lack of knowledge of options and resources available. 43% of social renters who chose not to make a complaint did so due to the time required to process a complaint, while 27% chose not to make a complaint as they believed nothing would be done.

The BSWN and Shelter ‘Housing Rights’ workshops are composed of four separate sessions focusing on the private rental sector, social housing, housing conditions and homelessness. This session, the second of the four, will focus on social housing.

Who is this event for?

Organisations and community group leaders who support those who may be insecurely housed or have a housing issue, to broaden their housing rights knowledge to support their clients and communities. Attendees could have little to no housing knowledge, but equally, those with working knowledge can also benefit from this session.

What will be covered?

• What social rented housing means
• How social housing is allocated by Bristol City Council
• Who is eligible for social housing
• Types of social housing tenancy
• Rights of social housing tenants (including security)
• How social housing rents are set
• Campaigning for more social housing

Who will we hear from?

Shelter is a registered charity that campaigns for tenant rights in Great Britain. It gives advice, information and advocacy to people and lobbies government and local authorities for new laws and policies.

What else do I need to know?

Please do not worry, if for some reason you are unable to attend in person, there is an option to join the workshop virtually when you register for a ticket.

Parking and bike racks

There is metered parking available around Portland Square (4 hours at a time max) which is 3 minutes walk away, or a nearby Brunswick Square (2 hours at a time max) which is a 1 minute walk away. Alternatively, there is a nearby NCP car park (situated between Brunswick and Portland Square) and parking in Cabot Circus shopping centre which is a 4 minute walk away. There are also bike racks available for use in the courtyard.

Accessibility

The Coach House is unfortunately not an accessible building due to its age. This includes lack of accessible toilets for disabled people. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused, we are working to raise funds to address this issue as part of our future plans for refurbishment.