Emma Bimpson | Sheffield Hallam University

About

Emma has expertise and research interests in shifting housing welfare provision within the social and private rented sectors, homelessness, and local housing and support provider networks. Emma also has experience working within supported housing services for people experiencing mental ill health and substance addiction. She has led evaluations of housing interventions for young people (OVO Fundation) and sex working women (Basis Yorkshire, Housing First), and has co-authored evidence reviews of housing and mental health (Mind Cymru) and housing exclusion more broadly (The UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence- CaCHE).

Emma’s most recent project, co-delivered by CaCHE and CRESR, has researched the experience of homelessness for mothers including those separated from their children, and the ways that housing and other social policies construct maternal identities. This project involved research with women living in temporary accommodation such as women’s refuges, and has advanced a deeper understanding of the interaction between housing, children's social services and other social systems such as criminal justice.

Emma’s PhD (submitted in 2018 at the University of Leeds) built on several years’ experience as a practitioner in a large housing association. Her thesis explored welfare restructuring under austerity and financialisation through the accounts of housing and support providers within a city-based case study.

Emma is membership officer for the Housing Studies Association, the leading learned society for housing studies in the UK. Emma is also a trustee for the David Oluwale Memorial Association, an organisation which campaigns around issues relating to housing, homelessness, migration, and mental health.

Emma's research interests include:

Housing and financialisation
Welfare governance
Local welfare systems
The Social and Private Rented Sector
Vulnerability and social care
Qualitative research

Teaching

Housing Subject Group.

Research

Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research
Social and Economic Research Institute

2020 Evaluation of Welsh Government’s Innovative Housing Programme, Welsh Government. Role: Member of research team.

2019-2021 Leeds Neighbourhood Network Evaluation, Centre for Ageing Better. Role: Member of research team.

2019-2020 Rough Sleeping Grant Evaluation, Public Health England. Role: Member of research team.

2018-2019 Motherhood and homelessness – Intersectional challenges of parenting, health and identity. Role: Member of research team.

Selected research reports

Preece, J. and Bimpson, E. (2019) Forms and mechanisms of exclusion in contemporary housing systems. CACHE.

Preece, J. and Bimpson, E. (2019) Housing insecurity and mental health in Wales. Mind Cymru and CaCHE.

Preece, J. and Bimpson, E. (2019) Policy briefing: Housing insecurity and mental health in Wales. Mind Cymru and CaCHE.

Bimpson, E. and Young, G. (2019) OVO Foundation’s Future Builders Programme. CaCHE.

Bimpson, E. (2018) An Evaluation of Basis Yorkshire’s Housing First Pilot. Leeds Social Sciences Institute.

Public engagement

Bimpson, E. (2019) The Social Responsibilities of Landlords – HSA Symposium, Housing Studies Association blog. Available at: https://housing-studies-association.org/2019/07/blog-the-social-responsibilities-of-landlords-hsa-symposium/

McKee, K., Bimpson, E. and Simcock, T. (2019) ‘Greedy landlord’ stereotype is not true for all in private sector – some use power responsibly. The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/greedy-landlord-stereotype-is-not-true-for-all-in-private-sector-some-use-power-responsibly-119067

Bimpson, E. (2018) ‘No DSS’: how private landlords and letting agents exclude tenants on benefits. The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/no-dss-how-private-landlords-and-letting-agents-exclude-tenants-on-benefits-102118

Bimpson, E. (2018) Recognising the social responsibility of the Private Rented Sector within local welfare systems. Crisis blog. Available at: https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/resources-for-practitioners/crisis-help-to-rent-forum/housing-forum-topics/recognising-the-social-responsibilities-of-the-private-rented-sector-within-local-welfare-systems/