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Department of Sociology

 
Upcoming Events from CUSSP

About CUSSP

CUSSP is a student-led group interested in the development and discussion of national and international social policy. The group aims to bring together students from the various different subject areas to foster a creative conversation that can positively build public policy ideas that are meaningful and impactful.

CUSSP focuses on one social policy issue per term, with the aim to gain some insight into the complexities of the topic. To do this we invite a range of speakers including think tanks, charities and councillors to share their knowledge and experience. In Michaelmas term CUSSP is focusing on homelessness, looking both at organisations working to tackle homelessness directly and at housing policy more broadly.

Students from any subject area are encouraged to come to events, learn from expert speakers and raise issues and ideas to contribute to the group’s influence on social policy.

You can find out more about CUSSP on their Facebook.

 

Causes, Factors and Responses to homelessness - a discussion

Monday 15th October 2018, 7pm | Nihon room, Pembroke College

Homelessness is one of the most prominent issues within Cambridge and the UK as a whole. Over 300,000 people in Great Britain are sleeping rough or living in inadequate housing. Homelessness, however, has not happened in a vacuum. Our country’s housing, welfare and economic policy have a direct impact on the lives of thousands of people.

CUSSP will be joined by a panel of experts representing organisations working hard to tackle homelessness. Our first event of the term, organised in collaboration with the Wilberforce Society, will offer an understanding of the reality of homelessness beyond the numbers and statistics. If you want to gain a better understanding on this topic, our panelists will be addressing all the factors contributing to this problem, including how intersectionality plays a part in both understanding and solving this problem.

We wouldn’t let you walk away without giving you some practical insights on what you can concretely do to help this cause! Even as a students, there is plenty for us to do and our speakers from the Albert Kennedy Trust, Emmaus Cambridge, Wintercomfort for the Homeless and Jimmy’s Cambridge will be happy to tell us how to achieve that.

You can join the Facebook event here.

 

Housing Policy and Welfare Reform Panel

Wednesday 14th November 2018, 7pm | Nihon room, Pembroke College

There were 1.16 million households on local authority housing waiting lists in England in 2017, of which around 75,000 are due to homelessness. 79,600 local authority owned dwellings, 5%, are classified as “non-decent”.

Whilst these statistics represent an improvement compared to the previous year, they indicate the scale of a structural problem the UK faces in providing people with adequate housing. In this panel, organised in collaboration with the Wilberforce Society, we are taking a look at how the UK’s housing policies have impacted homelessness, and which policies have been or could be effective in tackling it.

Our speakers from the Bermondsey Council, the Cambridge Centre for Housing & Planning Research, RSM UK and the Institute for Public Policy Research will provide insights into their work and research, discussing topics such as welfare cuts, affordable housing and rent control, and the merits of policies like “Housing First”. You are sure to walk away with a better understanding of the complexities of these policies, and the range of factors that affect them.

You can join the Facebook event here.