Beth Watts-Cobbe
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bethwcobbe.bsky.social
Beth Watts-Cobbe
@bethwcobbe.bsky.social
Professor and Deputy Director @i-sphere.bsky.social Research homelessness, destitution, and social responses to them.
Reposted by Beth Watts-Cobbe
The Housing Studies Charitable Trust is seeking new Trustees to distribute proceeds from the journal to support housing education and scholarship. Please see advert and share widely. The role isn’t onerous and support important orgs and postdocs/ECR. www.thornbyassociates.co.uk/latest-news/...
Housing Studies Charitable Trust Seeking New Trustees — Thornby Associates
The Housing Studies Charitable Trust (HSCT) is looking for three new members to join theBoard of Trustees, a vital part of their governance.
www.thornbyassociates.co.uk
December 15, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Reposted by Beth Watts-Cobbe
Check out one of the interviews I did this week with CBC New Brunswick on sleeping cabins and tiny homes as a response to homelessness. Share among your networks! Thanks, CBC for inviting a critical perspective on this issue.

www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
www.cbc.ca
December 5, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Hats off to Carrie for calmly and cogently making these arguments. It feels to me a little like we’re having to defend the view that 2 plus 2 is 4. The poverty of aspiration endemic in responses to homelessness remains so evident. People deserve better.
Check out one of the interviews I did this week with CBC New Brunswick on sleeping cabins and tiny homes as a response to homelessness. Share among your networks! Thanks, CBC for inviting a critical perspective on this issue.

www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
www.cbc.ca
December 6, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Come join us! The @i-sphere.bsky.social are delighted to advertise for Research Intern to design and lead in-depth research on an area of homelessness prevention in the UK, The post is full time, for 9 months and suitable for candidates based anywhere in the UK (remote working standard)...
December 2, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Come join us! The @i-sphere.bsky.social are delighted to advertise for Research Intern to design and lead in-depth research on an area of homelessness prevention in the UK, The post is full time, for 9 months and suitable for candidates based anywhere in the UK (remote working standard)...
December 2, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Context: Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins is playing.

E (3yo): Mummy, I went to the danger zone once. A long time ago. With daddy.
November 23, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Dormitory-style night shelters tackling street homelessness are harmful. At best, they protect an already very disadvantaged group from some harms, while generating & deepening manifold others. Nor do they reliably lead to sustainable rehousing... ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/ij...
Beyond Shelters: Unpacking Global Lessons from Scotland’s Journey Towards Housing Justice | International Journal on Homelessness
ojs.lib.uwo.ca
September 24, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Really pleased to see this from SMF, showing the role that Housing First needs to play in finally, sustainably, turning the tide on rough sleeping in England. I hope those working on the *much anticipated* cross-government homelessness strategy are taking note.
When did Government stop caring about rough sleeping?

In his latest briefing, @gideonsalutin.bsky.social argues for a proven approach that cuts homelessness and generates nearly £200m in net fiscal benefits. 💡

🧵What is it—and does it work?
September 17, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Wall to wall dads (except me) at the toddler trampolining session this morning, and absolutely no mystery to me why. Jeez!
July 26, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Reposted by Beth Watts-Cobbe
Some heatwave weekend reading on why devolution needs to be talked about more in connection with the disability social security cuts.

@lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social blog w/ @safety-nets.bsky.social colleagues @haylesben.bsky.social @sionedps.bsky.social

blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
Labour’s social security reforms ignore devolution - British Politics and Policy at LSE
The Goverment's social security reforms ignore the fact that they will have different consequences depending on which part of the UK one lives in.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
July 11, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by Beth Watts-Cobbe
The trial 56-day 'move-on' period for newly-recognised refugees to find somewhere to live has been extended, the government has confirmed.
Home Office extends 56-day 'move-on' period for refugees
www.bigissue.com
July 11, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Reposted by Beth Watts-Cobbe
Groundbreaking new research by @i-sphere.bsky.social finds Black families have to disguise their identities to avoid #discrimination in housing, employment & essential services

More here: tinyurl.com/2etwp8ny

#HeriotWattUni #Homelessness
@raceontheagenda.bsky.social @crisis-uk.bsky.social
Black and minoritised people feel forced to disguise their identities
Race, Ethnicity and Homelessness research by I-SPHERE at Heriot-Watt University finds Black homeless families feel forced to disguise their identities
tinyurl.com
July 11, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Reposted by Beth Watts-Cobbe
𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗞
An analysis of 750,000 household records from the statutory homelessness system reveals that only 10% of Black families gained social housing compared to 24% of White families. doi.org/10.17861/D78...
@raceontheagenda.bsky.social @crisis-uk.bsky.social
July 11, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Sad news indeed
July 1, 2025 at 11:42 AM
It was a real pleasure to be able to mark and celebrate Maggie Brunjes - the inimitable, legendary Chief Executive of Homeless Network Scotland - receiving an honorary doctorate from @heriotwattuni.bsky.social last week. Congratulations Maggie on all of your achievements.
June 25, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Loki is giving military leader vibes today.
June 11, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Reposted by Beth Watts-Cobbe
Free School Meals support in the holidays is now the largest category of Household Support Fund expenditure.

This is arguably not an ideal use of what is supposed to be crisis support funding and would be better covered by an increased Free School Meals budget instead.
May 29, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Love this - a really useful framing to help bolster the normative underpinnings of the social security system and employment support.
I've been thinking for a while that we should be talking more about the "social determinants of work". David Kingsley has got there first; great piece naming "the social determinants of employability" - housing insecurity, digital exclusion, mental health, access to care www.myiep.uk/blogs-and-op...
Detached but Not Disengaged: Reframing Employability Practice Through Community-Rooted Youth Work - The Institute of Employability Professionals
28/05/2025
www.myiep.uk
May 29, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Reposted by Beth Watts-Cobbe
Please join us on 20th May for our next @i-sphere.bsky.social /Centre for Homelessness & Inclusion Health webinar with @popmhuk.bsky.social's Natasha Chilman on The public health significance of prior homelessness: findings on multimorbidity & mental health from a nationally representative survey...
May 14, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Please join us on 20th May for our next @i-sphere.bsky.social /Centre for Homelessness & Inclusion Health webinar with @popmhuk.bsky.social's Natasha Chilman on The public health significance of prior homelessness: findings on multimorbidity & mental health from a nationally representative survey...
May 14, 2025 at 3:42 PM
In a long held tradition of watching zeitgeist TV shows years after their release, the time has come to watch Black Mirror…

What the actual *^%>?!
May 13, 2025 at 8:09 PM
My daughter, 3, to our friend: “can I come to your house and see your mess?”
May 3, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Reposted by Beth Watts-Cobbe
Of course I’d rather Labour had won the by-election and losing by six votes is astonishing.

But I hope Starmer takes the message that Reform are better at being Reform than Labour, and Labour’s best bet is to go back to being Labour.
May 2, 2025 at 5:35 AM
Another dark day in UK politics. Devastating.
May 2, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Lovely to end the week with this dropping onto the doormat. A real pleasure to be part of this collection with @lynnemcmordie.bsky.social, and a tiny part of a wider and brilliant flurry of work on structural injustice and Iris Marion Young’s ideas. Thanks @vmantouvalou.bsky.social!
April 25, 2025 at 1:51 PM