Dr Halima Sacranie is the Director of Housing Research at the Centre for the New Midlands, having taken on this new position in February 2024.
Halima completed her PhD at the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (CURS) at the University of Birmingham in 2011, which was the regional centre of excellence for housing policy research, working with leading housing academic Prof David Mullins to establish the Housing and Communities Research Group (HCRG) at the University of Birmingham. Following Prof Mullins’ retirement, Halima took on the leadership of HCRG from 2018 to 2023.
Halima’s recent research includes being the UK academic partner on CHARM (Circular Housing Asset Renovation & Management), a 4-year EU funded project led by TU Delft in the Netherlands, that aimed to develop an asset management approach to prevent the downcycling of materials in the renovation and construction of social rented dwellings. Halima’s work on the project focused on the impact on, and role of tenants, across the partner organisations adopting Circular Economic principles in their social housing case studies. Other recent projects include a 3-year study on Housing Quality, Neighbourhoods and Resident Wellbeing with VIVID Homes, and a 2-year study with the Gambling Commission and Birmingham City Council on harmful gambling and tenancy insecurity.
Halima is currently leading an evaluation of the West Midlands Social Housing Quality Fund programme which has been commissioned by the West Midlands Combined Authority. Previous public grant evaluation work has included the national and regional evaluation of the Empty Homes Community Grants Programme, and Halima has undertaken research funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Nationwide Foundation and the ESCR.
Through her research experience, Halima has developed a strong understanding of the housing policy and built environment context in the West Midlands, as well as a familiarity with key stakeholders in the range of sectors encompassed by the housing and communities’ agenda.
In her role as Director of Housing Research at the Centre for New Midlands, Halima is building a programme of research with the ambition to establish the thinktank as the new centre for excellence for regional housing policy research. Halima is also currently an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, a Research Fellow at Aston University and a Trustee of the charity Climate Outreach.
Publications and Reports:
- Sacranie, H et al (2024) Birmingham City Council Harmful Gambling and Tenancy Security Research Report and Intervention Framework Final Report, CPFW, Aston University
- Sacranie, H (2023) How do we deliver Affordable Housing Across the West Midlands, Roundtable Report, Centre for the New Midlands
- Mullins D and Sacranie H (2022) Housing, Chapter 52 in Alcock, Pete, et al., eds. The student’s companion to social policy 6th edition. John Wiley & Sons.
- Sacranie et al (2022) VIVID Wellbeing Study: The Impact of Housing Quality and Neighbourhoods on Customer Wellbeing Final Report, CPFW, Aston University
- Sacranie H and Cetin S (2022) Towards a Socially Inclusive Circular Economy: A Study of Tenant Engagement in European Social Housing Organisations, Chapter 4 in “Social and Cultural Aspects of the Circular Economy: Toward Solidarity and Inclusivity” Ed. Pal, V.,Routledge
- Archer, T etc al (2019) Scaling-up Social Lettings? Scope, Impact and barriers, Sheffield Hallam University
- Mullins et al (2017) Tenant Involvement in Governance Models and Practice Final Report
- Sacranie, H., (2016) Hybridity enacted in a large English housing association: A tale of strategy, culture and community investment. In Hybridising Housing Organisations (pp. 129-148). Routledge.