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Scottish Graduate School of Social Science

Sgoil Cheumnaichean Saidheans Sòisealta na h-Alba

Scottish Graduate School of Social Science

Sgoil Cheumnaichean Saidheans Sòisealta na h-Alba

Studentship opportunity

All Studentship Opportunities

Rural Homelessness in Scotland: scale, causes, manifestations, and impacts

This studentship is funded by the ESRC through the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS)

Institution
University of Edinburgh
Pathway
Social Inequalities
Studentship
Open Collaborative
Mode of study

Full-time / Part-time

Application deadline
4pm, 14 April 2022
Applications are due 10 April, 5 pm BST and
References are due 16 April, 5 pm BST

Project details

Rural homelessness is surprisingly under-researched, especially in Scotland. The vast majority of scholarship on the issue is based on research conducted in North America; the few studies conducted in the UK have largely been limited to England and/or are now very dated. Policy interest in the issue is escalating given a widespread perception that its prevalence is increasing. However, the dearth of relevant research means that policymakers and practitioners are having to make critical decisions regarding which (if any) interventions to endorse and/or invest in without solid empirical evidence to guide them.

This study aims to redress this situation by using a mix of in-depth qualitative and quantitative methods to generate evidence on five key avenues of enquiry. First, it will (if feasible) quantify the scale of rural homelessness in Scotland and generate a demographic profile of the population affected. Second, it will explore the causation of rural homelessness with a view to ascertaining whether, and if so how, its causes may differ to those recorded in urban centres. Third, it will illuminate the ways in which rural homelessness is manifest in Scotland, reflecting on the extent to which these map onto or depart from existing homelessness typologies. Fourth, it will document the effects of (the different types of) rural homelessness on the wellbeing and identities of individuals affected. Finally, it will investigate the availability and experiences of support for people affected by homelessness in rural areas. The methodology will be determined by the successful candidate with the support of the supervisory team.

A better understanding of the scale, causes, nature, and effects of rural homelessness in Scotland will not only be invaluable to policymakers and service providers (including collaborating partner CrossReach, a leading provider of homelessness and social care services across Scotland) but help to fill a significant gap in scholarship on the subject of homelessness. The CHIH’s and CrossReach’s established links within homelessness and allied sectors will be drawn upon to support data collection, facilitate knowledge exchange, and maximise impact.

Supervisory Team:

  • First Supervisor: Professor Sarah Johnsen, sarah.johnsen@ed.ac.uk
  • Second Supervisor: Dr Sarah Rhynas, sarah.rhynas@ed.ac.uk

About the University

Based within the University of Edinburgh’s School of Health in Social Science, the Centre for Homelessness and Inclusion Health (CHIH) is a collaboration between the University and partners across Scotland.

The CHIH’s organisational partners and individual associates include representatives from across both statutory and charitable/third sectors operating in homelessness/housing and allied health and social care sectors. Inclusion health is a growing clinical, policy, and research agenda which focuses on populations that are poorly served by mainstream healthcare, suffer from disproportionately poor health, and often experience stigma (e.g. people facing homelessness, individuals engaged in sex work, migrants in vulnerable circumstances, and those engaged with the criminal justice system). CHIH and the organisations and individuals affiliated with it aim to better understand, prevent, and redress health inequalities affecting inclusion health populations. They share particular expertise in issues associated with homelessness and related forms of deep social exclusion.

The Centre’s work focuses on three core threads of activity, these being: education, research, and community engagement. The successful candidate will be welcomed to a vibrant and collegiate community which supports the development of early career scholars from a range of disciplinary and professional backgrounds.

Further details regarding the CHIH’s academic staff, PhD students and affiliates, together with the Centre’s research, teaching, and other activities can be found at: https://health.ed.ac.uk/research/current-research/centre-for-homelessness-and-inclusion-health.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Applicants will have a first degree (undergraduate) and have a demonstrable interest in the topic area under investigation.
  • Applicants can have a Masters degree, however this is not a requirement.
  • Applicants can study part-time or full-time

Funding

As per guidance published by UKRI in October 2020, a maximum of 30% of all studentships awarded can be made to international students, with the remaining 70% going to home students. 

Residential Criteria

To be classed as a home student, applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a UK national (meeting residency requirements), or
  • Have settled status, or
  • Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
  • Have indefinite leave to remain or enter.

If you do not meet the criteria above, you will be classed as an international student. To establish if you would be classed as a home student, please see pages 4 and 5 of the UKRI eligibility guidance here

As per guidance published by UKRI in October 2020, a maximum of 30% of all studentships awarded can be made to international students, of which SGSSS has now awarded for the 2021/22 round of studentship awards. As such, this opportunity is only open to home students.

Residential Criteria

To be classed as a home student, applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a UK national (meeting residency requirements), or
  • Have settled status, or
  • Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
  • Have indefinite leave to remain or enter.

If you do not meet the criteria above, you will be classed as an international student and will not be eligible to apply. To establish if you would be classed as a home student, please see pages 4 and 5 of the UKRI eligibility guidance here.

Award details

The scholarship is available as a +3.5 (3 year PhD and placement) or a 1+3.5 (Masters year, 3 year PhD, and a placement) studentship depending on prior research training. This will be assessed as part of the recruitment process, however you can access guidance here to help you decide on which to apply for. The programme will commence in October 2025. The full ESRC studentship package includes, as advised by ESRC:

  • An annual maintenance grant (stipend)
  • Fees at the standard institutional home rate
  • Students can also draw on a pooled Research Training Support Grant (RTSG)

Other information

The project’s supervisory team includes academics with a mix of disciplinary, methodological, and professional expertise but shared commitment to redressing homelessness and related forms of injustice.

They include:

  • Prof Sarah Johnsen, a social geographer by background, who is Chair and Director of the CHIH
  • Dr Sarah Rhynas, a registered nurse and Senior Lecturer in the School of Health in Social Science
  • Dr Richard Lowrie, a prescribing pharmacist and Reader in the CHIH
  • Service Lead of Homelessness or Substance Use Services at CrossReach

This open collaborative PhD studentship involves a partnership between the University of Edinburgh and charity partner CrossReach. CrossReach is a registered charity which provides social care services on behalf of the Church of Scotland.

The proposed study is in part inspired by, and builds upon, research that members the supervisory team have done for CrossReach and related work in recent years. Further detail regarding CrossReach’s aims and services can be found at: https://www.crossreach.org.uk/.

How to apply

  1. Applicants must register on SGSSS Apply, completing their Equal Opportunities data.
  2. Applicants must apply via SGSSS Apply, uploading the following documentation:

    • Application Questions (answered within SGSSS Apply, no upload needed)
    • Academic transcripts
    • Academic prizes
    • Referee information
    • CV
    • Other information (if required by the advert)
We strongly encourage applicants review the applicant guidance document for more on the process. 

Please Note:

  • This is not an application to the relevant University, this is an application for SGSSS (ESRC) funding.
  • Students do not need a Masters/PhD offer from the relevant University before they can apply for funding, i.e. this studentship.
  • If successful in obtaining the SGSSS (ESRC) studentship, students can only start the funded studentship once they have an unconditional Masters/PhD degree offer from the relevant University. It is your responsibility to find out the University’s application process, including when you need to secure your offer, as SGSSS plays no role in this process.

This studentship opportunity will open for applications on 9th June.

Apply now via SGSSS Apply

Selection process

Applications will be ranked by an internal institutional selection panel, and you will be notified if you have been shortlisted for interview on or around 18 April. Interviews will take place 29 April.

This studentship award is subject to the successful candidate securing admission to a PhD programme within the University of Edinburgh. The successful candidate will be invited to apply for admission to the relevant PhD programme.

Contact details

Name
SGSSS Team (for questions on the application portal, only), for any questions on the project, email the first & second supervisors (see details in abstract above)
Email
team@sgsss.ac.uk

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