Addressing the housing needs of minority ethnic communities: towards a pluralistic ethnic housing policy

The need for an ethnically sensitive housing policy has been highlighted by academic research which has documented the differential housing outcomes experienced between ethnic groups within national boundaries. A particular cause of concern has been the housing inequalities of minority ethnic communities, who are often concentrated in parts of urban areas which are neglected by the private market, and where other social welfare goods face pressure from high demand. State intervention is often the response to these ‘problems’, however it may take divergent forms. For example the advocacy of the distribution of additional state resources from the political left, and the advocacy of social control from the political right.