Covid-19 highlighted ‘existing inequalities’ for Bristol’s Somali community

A new report into the impact of Covid-19 on the Somali community in Bristol has highlighted multiple risk factors that have caused struggles throughout the pandemic. These include poor housing and education, low-paid, precarious employment, and structural racism.

The report was produced by two grassroots organisations: Bristol Somali Youth Voice and Bristol Somali Forum. The Somali community is the largest ethnic minority in Bristol.

Almost 40 per cent of people surveyed in the report said they knew someone who had been hospitalised as a result of Covid-19. A similar percentage said their mental wellbeing had deteriorated throughout the pandemic. Half the respondents had experienced housing problems during lockdown, while only 24 per cent said they were able to access support from Bristol City Council or other organisations during that time.

The findings tie in with broader research by Public Health England, who published a report in June showing that into Covid-19 had a disproportionate affect on people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds (BAME). The highest rates of Covid-19 per 100,000 people were found in people from black ethnic groups, and some BAME groups had a 50 per cent higher risk of dying from the coronavirus compared to a white British population.

Social and structural health disparities were also identified by Public Health England as contributing factors, including poor housing. “The most recent research from the UK suggests that both ethnicity and income inequality are independently associated with COVID-19 mortality,” the report states.

Mohamed Sayaqle engaging with residents in a tower block in Barton Hill. Poor housing has been identified as the risk factor that ‘underpins all the others’. Image supplied by Mohamed Sayaqle

Mohamed A Sayaqle, chair of Bristol Somali Youth Voice and author of the Bristol report, says the research is significant because it was led by the community, and therefore “gave a voice” to those who were not represented in previous studies. The team say were concerned about the lack of Somali representation in previous online surveys.

For Sayaqle, the report and findings are important because they were able to “engage and reach out to disengaged community groups who are disproportionately affected by the hardship of Covid-19”. This enabled them to generate a sample that represents the community fairly, and accurately reflects their needs and challenges.

Traditionally, this kind of reporting has been done by organisations commissioned by the local authority, who get large pots of funding to reach out to disengaged community groups. However, Sayaqle feels this strategy “lacks inclusion”.

“It is time to implement  a different strategy,” he says. “I believe our grassroots organisations have shown they have the skills, competence and ability to deliver culturally appropriate services.”

The report was presented in an online meeting with city leaders. Photo supplied by Mohamed Sayaqle

The report was presented to city leaders at an online meeting on November 24, 2020. The meeting was well attended, with members from the grassroots coalition presenting its findings, and responses from Bristol City Council cabinet members and health professionals.

Dr Natasha Carver, a volunteer at Bristol Somali Forum, gave a powerful presentation of the report’s findings. She explained that although there are multiple reasons for Covid-19’s disproportionate impact on the Somali community, the factor that “has the biggest impact and underpins all the others is housing”.

Dr Carver highlighted the issue of overcrowding allowing the virus to spread, which is of particular concern in Barton Hill, where families are “packed together in tower blocks”.

She shared one case study from the report: a family of five who live in a one-bedroom flat with no garden. They have been on the housing waiting list for seven years. “Maybe there is someone who doesn’t like us,” a member of the family said. “As a black person, your doubt in the system is ingrained.”

Other speakers at the meeting emphasised the importance of understanding the underlying issues that apply to many groups. “If we can solve the problems of this community, we can solve the problems of the whole of Bristol,” said Abdul Ahmed, chair of Bristol Somali Forum.

Christina Gray, director of Public Health in Bristol, said: “All disease is socially constructed and Covid-19 has revealed, more than any other illness, the existing inequalities.” She added that the findings of the report should be used as “an opportunity to make things better”.

Helen Godwin, Labour councillor for Southmead and cabinet member for women, families and homes, responded to criticisms regarding Bristol’s poor housing. She told the meeting “it takes years to be relocated for housing”, and that 12,500 people are currently on the housing waiting list in Bristol.

Godwin told the meeting that the council are doing work to regenerate existing council estates and are working with communities to address the particular issues faced by those living in tower blocks. She also highlighted the work the council is doing in building more homes and that they have plans to carry out a review of Home Choice, the current service used by Bristol residents in registering and applying for social housing.

Main photo supplied by Mohamed Sayaqle

Read more: Bristol Somali Youth Voice: Supporting the community to control the virus