Welcome to our blog series, spotlighting our Commissioners who provide independent advice to Scottish Ministers on poverty and inequality; monitor progress; and propose solutions to reduce poverty and inequality in Scotland. In each post, we’ll introduce you to one of our Commissioners—sharing their background, what drives them, and the unique perspectives they bring to our work.
Meet Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick
In this edition of our Meet the Commissioners series, we’re introducing Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick.
I am the Director of the Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research (I-SPHERE) at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. I was principal investigator on the Crisis-funded ‘Homelessness Monitor’ series for more than a decade and I also lead a major programme of work on ‘Destitution in the UK’ for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Ever since I started my PhD at the age of 22, my career has seen me work in areas focussed on homelessness, housing and social policy. I taught in fields including social justice, social housing and housing law at the University of Glasgow, before being given the opportunity to run a research centre at the University of York focussing on housing and social policy, with the most prominent theme being homelessness.
I later returned to Scotland to move to Heriot-Watt University.
Links between child poverty and homelessness
Research has shown there is a very strong relationship between child poverty and homelessness – and most of my work has been in the homelessness world. Identifying poverty as the underlying driver of homelessness was a key motivation for becoming a Commissioner.
My personal background also motivated me to apply to become a Commissioner. I didn’t come from an impoverished background, but I do come from a working class background.
When I was born my parents lived in a ‘single end’ in Cathcart, in the south side of Glasgow, before we moved to a flat in Castlemilk. My mum and dad later moved to a ‘Scottish Special Housing Association’ house in Erskine, where I stayed until I left home at 22. We lived in social housing for much of the time when I was growing up.
I was always very aware of poverty and very concerned about homelessness. In Glasgow and the west of Scotland in the 1970s and 1980s, you were never far removed from poverty, and a number of people I went to school with died from overdoses and suicide.
I was also inspired by a law professor – Tom Mullen – when I was studying at university, who really helped build my passion for trying to do something to help in the field of housing, homelessness and poverty.
Up to now, I have focussed on the more extreme end of the issues that contribute to poverty, destitution and homelessness. Being part of the Commission helps widen my understanding of the impact of broader systemic issues, for example childcare provision.
Helping protect those on the lowest incomes
I think the obvious thing I would like to be part of is to help contribute to meeting the child poverty targets.
The geo-political pressures we face at the moment – spending more on defence, for example – leaves us facing real economic challenges. Governments have to take tough decisions and I do sympathise, as we can all see the economic and security headwinds they currently face.
But our task is to do our best for those on the lowest incomes and help steer a path towards meeting the targets that have been set. We have to ensure that those on the lowest incomes don’t carry the burden of the difficult spending choices facing government.
Ministers have to give us answers
I think the Commission plays a unique role in tackling poverty because it has a statutory status and it is independent. That gives us a level of authority that allows us to ask hard questions but do it in a way that is constructive.
It is a privilege that we not only get to ask questions of Scottish Government ministers but know they have got to give us an answer.
It gives us a seat at the table and that is really important.