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Addressing Housing Distress to Improve Health and Wellbeing in UK Inner Cities

A block of flats in a city
photo of Liz Storer and Rachel Humphris

Dr Rachel Humphris and Dr Elizabeth Storer

Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Politics / Lecturer in Health Geography

In collaboration with

  • Dr Nikita Simpson
  • Afsana Salik
  • Suad Duale

Housing distress is a pressing issue that significantly impacts residents' physical and mental health, placing increased strain on healthcare services. This policy brief highlights key challenges and actionable solutions to mitigate the negative effects of inadequate housing. Recommendations include strengthening housing and health collaboration at different policy levels to ensure mutually reinforcing activities; enhancing tenant protections and educating tenants on their rights; culturally informed support services and promoting community leadership.

Who should read this brief?

This brief is tailored towards local authorities and third sector organisations working to improve community housing and health.

A block of flats in a city

Addressing Housing Distress to Improve Health and Wellbeing in UK Inner Cities

Download here
“Addressing housing distress requires integrated, culturally sensitive, and equity-driven policies. It also requires research which reflects the cumulative distress rendered through inadequate housing, which has been highlighted by our two ethnographically-informed projects.”
— Dr Rachel Humphris and Dr Elizabeth Storer

About the researchers

Dr Rachel Humphris

Rachel Humphris is a Senior Lecturer and Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Migration at QMUL. Her research focuses on migration, citizenship, and urban governance. She has written two books, more than 20 articles and been a consultant for WHO, IOM, UNHCR and UNDP among other national and local organisations.

Dr Elizabeth Storer

Elizabeth Storer is an ethnographer who researchers structural inequalities in health. She is a Lecturer in Health Geography at QMUL and a Visiting Fellow at FLIA, LSE. Her research has been widely published in academic journals and Storer has written for policy makers including the British Academy and SSHAP.

This brief has been co-authored with:

  • Nikita Simpson, Reader, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, SOAS
  • Afsana Salik, Senior Community Organiser, Citizens UK
  • Suad Duale, Visiting Lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton

Be the next author

Are you an academic at Queen Mary and want to share your research insights in a brief? Email Evie Edwards, Impact Engagement Officer, evie.edwards@qmul.ac.uk

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