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‘Amar bari, amar jibon’

'My home, my life' - Developing living environments for Bangladeshi elders

Launched on the Bangladeshi Independence Day on Saturday, 26 March 2022, ‘Amar bari, amar jibon’ (My home, my life): developing living environments for Bangladeshi elders, was a pioneering 36-month research project that focused on the entrenched housing and health inequalities of Bangladeshi elders (‘probin’ in Bangla) in East London.

We are now pleased to share the final report publication, launched at the House of Lords by Lord Best in February 2026, marking the culmination of the coproduced study on the housing experiences, needs and aspirations of older Bangladeshi communities in four East London boroughs, with evidence-led recommendations for policy, recognition and action.

Bengali version:

Further information

Final Report

Funded by the Vivensa Foundation, this 30-month joint project with The Open University, Bangla Housing Association, and Housing LIN examined housing experiences of the Bangladeshi ‘probin’ community across four East London boroughs.

Through interviews with 76 older adults, eight families, and advisory groups of local residents and professionals, the study explored needs, aspirations, and challenges related to housing, health, and neighbourhoods.

Findings reveal overcrowding, poor housing quality, limited awareness of options, and constrained choices near community networks. Recommendations for policymakers and service providers focus on three themes:

evidence of ethnic housing inequities
recognition of systemic disparities
and action to address discriminatory systems.

Read the report and executive summary here

Aims & Objectives of the research

This study explored values, perceptions and aspirations regarding current and future housing and question how age, housing and living arrangements interact and affect health and quality of life of the Bangladeshi ‘probin’ community in Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets in East London.

The project embraced themes of culture, equity, diversity, and inclusion contributing to a better understanding of the everyday life, health and wellbeing of the older Bangladeshi community in mainstream and specialist housing. Drawing on their experiences and needs, it sets out what future housing options might look like and help inform how to enable a wider range of housing choices.

It further investigated:

how experiences of living environments vary by sex, age, and health related conditions, living arrangements, tenure, and socio-economic status
how current circumstances enable and constrain health and wellbeing
the advantages/disadvantages, experiences, and preferences regarding living in different circumstances: a multi-generational family household, or alone, or in a couple
how Bangladeshi ‘probin’ respond to and adapt their living environment when their housing no longer meets their needs
capture sources of informal and formal advice and support that older Bangladeshi’s draw on to sustain their wellbeing over time; and
shared findings on the perspectives of housing, health and social care providers about issues facing Bangladeshi ‘probin’ and ways of addressing these.

Methodology

Our partnership and overall approach to conducting this study was embedded in participatory and community research traditions reinforced by inclusive and collaborative ways of working.

The project aimed to conduct:

Eighty in-depth interviews with Bangladeshi elders aged 50 and over living in multigenerational households, communal extra care settings and/or as a couple in East London boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Newham – to gather their perspectives on what they value about their ‘ways of living’ and ‘what they would like to change’.
Ten focus groups will be held separately with families of probin to understand the experiences of and factors influencing multigenerational living.
Twenty-five semi-structured interviews with key housing, health, social care and design professionals drawn from across the three boroughs including at metropolitan and national levels will also be completed – to enable gathering information about local housing and housing-related provision and practice including surfacing key issues in developing living environments for older people from minority ethnic groups.

Active inclusive involvement of communities (‘Research publics’) was sought in the following ways:

Community Co-researchers includes 6 people aged 18 years and above (both women and men) appointed to a paid role, jointly recruited by BHA and OU and trained in research ethics and interviewing by the academic team to conduct interviews with Bangladeshi probin in Sylheti, Bengali and English as required.
Bangla Research Advisory group (BRAG) comprising 8 community members in place at outset of the study to include both women and men from across the three East London Boroughs. Supported by BHA and OU, BRAG members will be enabled to fully engage and contribute comfortably to different aspects of the research - from shaping the research questions to working with Practitioner Advisory Group to consider dissemination of findings and recommendations and influencing practice and policy.
Practitioner advisory group (PAG) comprising of 10-12 local service providers, practitioners, policy makers and academics recruited to the study and in place at the outset. They will advise on local and national issues relevant to the research to explore with Bangladeshi probin and through professional interviews and support dissemination, accessibility and usability of findings in practice and policy

Partners Information

The Open University’s mission since 1969 is, ‘to be open to people, places, methods and ideas and this means that a commitment to equality is embedded in all that we do. We celebrate diversity and the strengths that it brings, we challenge under-representation and differences in outcomes.’

Actively promoting educational opportunity and social justice, the Open University has a vibrant research community and a stellar reputation for research excellence. The Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, where the OU team is located, has a dynamic research culture and environment with a strong tradition in methodological innovation and participatory research. For more information visit: https://wels.open.ac.uk/ (opens new window)

Bangla Housing Association (BHA) was formed to support the Bangladeshi community that was experiencing housing problems in the London Borough of Hackney. BHA have since extended their remit and now support and house people from wider communities in the London Boroughs of Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest. BHA’s mission is to provide decent, affordable homes and support services for those in needs in the local BME and the wider community. For more information visit: https://www.banglaha.org.uk/about (opens new window)

The Housing LIN is the 'go to' sharing network for anyone working in housing, health and social care promoting solutions that enable everyone to live well in good quality housing. The network provides market insight and intelligence on latest funding, research, policy and practice to inspire better housing and care choices through its free knowledge and information sharing activities and consultancy business. For more information visit https://www.housinglin.org.uk/

This research project is supported by The Vivensa Foundation through the "Building and delivering suitable living environments and communities for an ageing population" grant scheme.
For more information visit: www.vivensafoundation.org.uk (opens new window)

News update

Amar Bari Amar Jibon Newsletter

Related news items:

New report calls for action on inadequate housing facing long-established older Bangladeshi Communities in East London

We are absolutely delighted to announce the publication of the Amar Bari, Amar Jibon (My Home, My Life) research report at a launch event in the House of Lords today, hosted by Lord Best.

Bengali Probin East Enders Drama tells the story of housing, ageing, family and wellbeing in East London

Over a hundred attendees, including older Bangladeshi adults (‘probins’ in Bengali) aged 50 years and over, their families, and local organisations came together at Rich Mix, Bethnal Green, for Bengali Probin East Enders - a project feedback event featuring a community drama hosted by the Amar Bari Amar Jibon (ABAJ) team: The Open University, Housing LIN, and Bangla Housing Association. Read on.

Amar Bari, Amar Jibon research team hold consultative event hosted by the Deputy Mayor of London at City Hall

With thanks to Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development, for hosting the ‘Amar Bari, Amar Jibon’ (My Home, My Life) consultative event yesterday with guests at City Hall.

The ABAJ team meet with Deputy Mayor of London for Housing, Tom Copley

The Amar Bari, Amar Jibon project team had the pleasure of presenting the emerging findings from the Dunhill Medical Trust funding project to Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development, at the BME London Landlords (BMELL) quarterly meeting. Read on to find out more.

The Amar Bari, Amar Jibon Professional Advisory Group meets to discuss initial project findings

The Open University/Bangla Housing Association team and members from the Bangladeshi Research Advisory Group (BRAG) met today with the project’s core Professional Advisory Group (PAG) to present the initial preliminary analysis from the interviews with the Bangladeshi ‘probin’ community on the Dunhill Medical Trust funded ‘Amar Bari, Amar Jibon’ research.

Coproducing Research in Practice: Experiences from the Amar Bari, Amar Jibon project

Published on The Open University’s Societal Challenges webpages, this blog from the Amar Bari, Amar Jibon research team draws attention to how coproduction is core to the Dunhill Medical Trust funded research concerning urban ageing amongst Bangladeshi communities in East London and reflects on their experience.

Amar Bari Amar Jibon – A Collaborative, Coproduced research project

Bashir Uddin, CEO at Bangla Housing Association, shares insights into the Amar Bari Amar Jibon research project and his experience working for the community to reveal the issues facing older Bangladeshi people over the age of 50 years old.

Multicultural Co-production: the Amar Bari, Amar Jibon (My Home, My Life) partnership

In this blog, Sheila Peace, Mahera Ruby, Manik Gopinath, Caroline Holland, Bashir Uddin, Leena Khan and Jeremy Porteus share insights and reflections from the “Amar Bari Amar Jibon” (My Home, My Life) research study, focusing on how to do effective co-production in a multicultural context.

Amar Bari, Amar Jibon project appoints a Professional Engagement and Impact Lead

The Dunhill Medical Trust funded Amar Bari, Amar Jibon research partnership is delighted to announce that it has appointed Jenny Kartupelis as its Professional Engagement and Impact Lead.

Amar Bari, Amar Jibon Professional Advisory Group meets for first time

The newly formed Amar Bari, Amar Jibon Professional Advisory Group (PAG) met online this week to receive a research update from project partners (The Open University, Bangla Housing Association and the Housing LIN) on the Dunhill Medical Trust funded project on the housing needs and choices of the Bangladeshi ‘probin’ community.

Multicultural Co-production: the Amar Bari, Amar Jibon (My Home, My Life) partnership

Celebrating the Amar Bari, Amar Jibon research project on Bangladeshi Independence Day

Today, as we celebrate Bangladeshi Independence Day, we are pleased to advise on significant progress in the 'Amar bari, amar jibon' research project.

The Amar Bari Amar Jibon partnership team seek a new Professional Stakeholder Engagement and Impact Lead

Are you enthusiastic about facilitating practice and policy change through collaborative approaches? Are you interested in championing home, housing and housing-related health and care issues affecting older people from minority ethnic communities?

Amar Bari Amar Jibon – A Collaborative, Coproduced research project

The Amar Bari project reaches out to professional stakeholders

The Amar Bari project team, funded by The Dunhill Medical Trust, was delighted to host an inaugural Zoom meeting last week with around 20 professionals and policymakers with a keen interest in housing, ageing, planning, design, and related fields to consider current and future plans for the ‘probin’ community within the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney and Redbridge and beyond.

An opportunity to take part in research with Bangladeshi older people in East London

Are you interested in becoming a Community co-researcher? The Open University’s 'Amar bari, amar jibon’ (My home, my life) research project is seeking to recruit six community co-researchers from the Bangladeshi community to each engage with and interview the Bangladeshi ‘probin’ (older men and women) and a small number of families living in East London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Redbridge and Hackney about their home, housing and neighbourhood related concerns and aspirations.

Amar Bari Amar Jibon [My home, my life] research project Update

19th November 2022 was another momentous day for the Amar Bari project team. It marked the start of our research relationship with people from the Bangladeshi community in East London, UK who have come together to form the Bangla Research Advisory Group (BRAG).

The Amar Bari, Amar Jibon research team present at Dunhill Medical Trust's virtual event

The research team from Bangla Housing Association, The Open University and the Housing LIN were delighted to join other projects funded under the Dunhill Medical Trust’s Suitable Living Environment’s funding stream today 20th October 2022, and provide an update on the team's research into the housing and care needs of the Bangladeshi 'probin' community in East London.

Bangla Research Advisory Group meets for first time

The inaugural meeting of the Bangla Research Advisory Group (BRAG) met on 13 July 2022 to co-design with local community participants the approach to engage with the probin community from the outset of the Amar Bari Amar Jibon project.

New study launched to explore diversity and inclusion in later life living environments among the UK Bangladeshi elders community

It's Bangladesh Independence Day (26 March 2022) and in partnership with the Open University and Bangla Housing Association, we celebrate by launching a new study that will focus on the entrenched housing and health inequalities of Bangladeshi elders (‘probin’ in Bangla) in East London.

Other useful information

Throughout the course of this programme, we shared various relevant resources here. In the meantime, on a range of more general resources on housing and diversity in later life, visit this dedicated page on the Housing LIN website.

If you would like to propose specific resources to be included on this page, please send these for our consideration at: info@housinglin.org.uk

Unequal access, unsafe homes: The home improvement gap for racially minoritised communities

This report, commissioned by the Centre for Ageing Better and delivered by the Race Equality Foundation, explores the specific housing and home improvement needs and barriers experienced by racially minoritised communities in England.

Advancing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Housing for Older Adults

The Amar Bari, Amar Jibon research team present at Dunhill Medical Trust's virtual event

HAPPI Hour – Diversity in Care Environments: A better understanding of social inclusion of older people

Contact

For enquiries relating to this research, contact:

For more information, please email manik.deepak-gopinath@open.ac.uk
For all PR enquires, please email comms@housinglin.org.uk

Acknowledgments

Funded by The Vivensa Foundation through the ‘Building and delivering suitable living environments and communities for an ageing population’ grant, the project is led by The Open University (OU) in partnership with the Bangla Housing Association (BHA) and the Housing LIN (Learning and Improvement Network).