Thea Raisbeck has over 17 years’ experience in a range of advocacy, research, and strategy roles within the housing and homelessness sectors. Thea specialises in issues around homelessness and supported housing, alongside examining and advocating for gendered approaches to policy, practice and provision. Currently Head of Research and Best Practice at Spring Housing and a Visiting Fellow at Aston University, Thea is a skilled qualitative researcher with extensive experience of participatory and co-production methods.
Thea holds a BA in Literature and Linguistics and an MA in Social Policy, both from the University of Birmingham.
Thea is a passionate advocate for gender equality and the eradication of violence against women and girls, Thea is also Chair of Coventry Haven, a domestic abuse charity.
Over the past 7 years Thea has researched and authored several reports which have had legislative, policy, and practice impact. This includes two pathbreaking reports on unregulated supported housing (‘exempt accommodation’), which directly contributed to a change in legislation.
As a former practitioner, Thea is invested in creating research and policy solutions that are rooted in, and have applicability to, ‘on-the-ground’ contexts. Her primary interests currently lie in understanding women’s experiences of ‘choice’ in housing and homelessness contexts, and the effects of employment on people’s experiences of supported housing.
Thea is currently working with the WMCA and the DWP around the experiences of young people in high cost supported housing who enter employment.
Memberships:
Thea is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Certified Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
Recent Publications:
Raisbeck, T. (2024) The Period Project Birmingham: A Toolkit for Homelessness Professionals. Birmingham: Birmingham City Council Public Health
Raisbeck, T. (2023) Partnerships in Practice: Spring Housing’s JQ Hub for prison leavers. Birmingham: Spring Housing
Raisbeck, T. (2022) The Small Victories: Birmingham Women’s Homelessness Pathway Consortium: Year 2 Evidence and Learning Review. Birmingham: West Midlands Combined Authority and Spring Housing
Raisbeck, T. (2021) Violence Under Quiet Conditions: Initial enquiry into women and rough sleeping within Birmingham. Birmingham: Spring Housing
Raisbeck, T. (2020) Places of Safety. Birmingham: Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid and the University of Birmingham
Raisbeck, T. (2019) Exempt from Responsibility? London: Commonweal and University of Birmingham
Raisbeck, T. (2018) Risk Safety and Wellbeing in Shared, ‘Exempt’ Accommodation. Birmingham: Birmingham Safeguarding Adults Board