Commonweal supports four University of Birmingham students delving into key housing issues
Four University of Birmingham students receive funding and support to conduct their final-year research projects into critical housing and social policy areas, via Commonweal Housing’s Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary.
As the newest recipients of the Bursary for 2024/25, Ellie Childs, Precious Oladimeji, Emma Bull and Lily Soaper will each receive a £2,500 grant and informal mentoring support from Commonweal.
In memory of Jane Slowey CBE, a Trustee at Commonweal for ten years until her passing in 2017 and alumna of the University of Birmingham, the charity established the Bursary to support up-to four undergraduate students at the University of Birmingham’s School of Social Policy.
Throughout her career, Jane was dedicated to campaigning against social injustices. Outside of her work with Commonweal, she held many senior positions within the charity and third sector, including Chief Executive of the Foyer Foundation, a young people’s charity.
Since it was established in 2018, the Bursary is open to final-year students whose dissertations investigate housing related issues and injustices.
Sociology undergraduate Ellie Childs seeks to conduct a comparative study of long-term refugee housing in the UK and the Netherlands. Her study aims to compare the different safety outcomes for refugees who have been granted leave to remain in the two countries and how current housing systems potentially exacerbate these outcomes.
Ellie Childs said: “The Bursary will enable me to conduct research in The Netherlands. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the bursary, so I am very excited to explore this area of research from an international angle.”
Precious Oladimeji, who is studying Policy, Politics, and Economics, intends to examine the extent housing is a determinant of health and healthcare within Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.
Specifically, her research aims to uncover how the global health crisis of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) – which occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines – is magnified in BAME communities due to substandard housing and recommend policies that could counter and alleviate this issue.
Precious Oladimeji said: “The Bursary will really help me be able to focus on my studies during final-year because I won’t have to work as much, and it will also help me to effectively carry out what I hope will become not only an effective but an impactful dissertation project.”
Social Policy student Emma Bull aims to conduct a critical policy analysis of the Government’s response to homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, she will examine the role of charities in providing homelessness support during this period.
Emma Bull said: “The Bursary will support me in my aim of conducting interviews for my dissertation by enabling me to cover travel expenses. Additionally, the mentoring and guidance available from Commomweal through this Bursary will be very valuable in providing me with insights into the skills required to build a career in the third sector.”
The fourth and final recipient, Social Policy student Lily Soaper, will provisionally undertake an ethnographic study to explore the obstacles that domestic violence support services face in providing alternative housing for survivors.
Lily Soaper said: “The Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary will help me immensely with undertaking my ethnographic research, I will be undertaking. It will provide me the means to be able to travel to and from site and allow me to focus on my research rather than worry about needing to work more hours over summer. I am incredibly grateful for the bursary and I’m excited to get started with my research.”
The 2024/25 recipients of the Bursary will present their research findings to Commonweal staff and Trustees next year. This follows an exceptional event at the University of Birmingham, where last year’s recipients of the Bursary presented their research findings to Commonweal staff, Trustees and friends, and University faculty.
Ashley Horsey, Chief Executive at Commonweal Housing, said: “Over the past six years, the Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary has supported 12 Social Policy students at the University of Birmingham, enabling them to delve further into their work and produce exceptional final-year projects, shining a light on key injustices.
“The provisional research plans for the newest recipients of the Bursary cover a wide range of prominent housing related issues facing marginalised groups and communities, and I look forward to seeing the final result of their hard work.”