Research project featuring photographs taken by students reveals housing inequality and impacts on education
Date: 16 January 2024
In November last year, London Met hosted a 4 day exhibition in the Great Hall as part of the ‘No Fixed Abode’ research project, featuring photographs taken by students highlighting the pressing issue of housing inequality and how this impacts their education at London Met.
The exhibition, developed from a series of Photovoice workshops served as a platform for student voices, offering a unique perspective on this critical social issue.
Led by Donna Jones, Head of Subject, Challenge Champion for Discrimination together with Glyn Robbins Senior Lecturer and research assistant and Placements and Partnerships Officer Anna Jakobczak, the research enabled deeper understandings of the needs and challenges faced by students experiencing homelessness and housing instability during times of housing crisis and rising living costs, and how it affects their studies.
By actively involving students as co-researchers, the initiative not only sheds light on these challenges but also works collaboratively to develop meaningful solutions.
One of the co-researchers, Muhammad Saeed Ul Hassan Raza, MSc International Business Management with Project Management, commented: "It has been an empowering experience to use visual storytelling to document real-life struggles and amplify the voices of those often unheard. By participating, I felt a sense of responsibility to bring attention to the emotional and academic toll inadequate housing can have on students.
He added: “This project has also helped me develop a deeper understanding of the systemic issues affecting student housing, beyond my own experiences. It's more than just a research initiative – it's a call to action for institutions and policymakers to prioritise student welfare."
Research launch event
The opening event was well attended, and guests were keen to discuss and share ideas on improving support services at the university.
Key messages from the Photovoice workshops included a need for more visible housing and accommodation support and advice from the university with active engagement with students, a dedicated housing support team, and developing partnerships with local landlords and housing providers to negotiate more affordable housing options.
The research included an anonymous survey that attracted over 80 respondents. Glyn Robbins, who led this part of the research, said:
“This project started just before Christmas last year, when one of my students and her four children were victims of a so-called “no-fault eviction”. Their lives were turned upside down and the student was unable to complete her degree. The research shows that many other London Met students face similar problems. We need to do more to help them and demand change.”
Donna Jones, the Head of Subject who led the PhotoVoice and Podcast elements, explained:
“Precarious housing impacts so many of our students and their experience studying with us. We need to consider actions to begin to address what the co-researchers have clearly articulated would help them continue successfully with their studies.”
Another co-researcher, Hemlata Thapa, BSc Dietetics and Nutrition, commented: “Being part of this research, I found new insights about the difficulties students go through and how they improvise with their circumstances to get the best they can do and it inspired me a lot. This project has been able to bring the problems out, the students are facing. It would be a great relief to see if not all, some of the issues are resolved so that students can focus on study more efficiently.”
You can read the full SSSP No Fixed Abode report on the London Met research pages.
Donna Jones has recorded a three part series of the No Fixed Abode Podcast, which explores some of the themes from the Photovoice workshops.
Scan the QR code below to listen to this podcast
Exhibition and report findings announced in the Great Hall
