Rushaa Louise Hamid

Head of Research @ToynbeeHall || Previously @Survation || Social and participatory research enthusiast || 🇬🇧 🇸🇩 🏳️‍🌈 || Proudly disabled || she/her ||

[Rushaa Louise Hamid @RushaaHamid]

🔹 Young Disabled people aged 18-26 with experience of temporary accommodation in London to join online and in-person workshops in July and August for a project co-run with @DisRightsUK as part of the Better TA campaign. https://t.co/Ff7T7GuYbs

[Rushaa Louise Hamid @RushaaHamid]

I firmly believe the best research starts with the people who live the issues everyday. At @ToynbeeHall, we're looking for people to help our participatory research by joining interviews and workshops for some of our ongoing projects. For more info: https://t.co/t1Np8tiApp

[Rushaa Louise Hamid @RushaaHamid]

🔹 Disabled people across England and Wales to take part in one-to-one interviews with our peer researchers exploring changes to the Universal Credit health element.

[Tom Pollard @PollardTom]

Anyone eligible for this package of benefit payments would also be able to claim Personal Independence Payment while in work. Many people in work also receive some Universal Credit, particularly for housing. So this is a completely false comparison, designed to whip up resentment

[The Times and Sunday Times @thetimes]

The Switchback charity has supported 3,000 young men, offering training and mentoring to help them rebuild their lives.

🔓 This story is free to read https://t.co/eF9vKpX2Yi

[Rushaa Louise Hamid @RushaaHamid]

Really lovely to see our @ToynbeeHall participatory action research positively reflected on in this @HealthFdn briefing on emotional support for young people! https://t.co/wsDZg5HptR

[Rushaa Louise Hamid @RushaaHamid]

@YourDoctorDebt @LutfurRahmanTH @TowerHamletsNow @MayorofLondon Mabrook!!!

[Toynbee Hall @ToynbeeHall]

This is a thread from our research team who are doing fantastic work within Participatory Action Research and understand the importance of real coproduction!

[Disability Rights UK @DisRightsUK]

With the UC and PIP Bill having it's second reading today, we're using #CoproductionWeek as an opportunity to say:

Any reform to disability benefits should start and end with Disabled people and our lived experience. This bill MUST be voted down.

[Rushaa Louise Hamid @RushaaHamid]

6) MPs should vote down the bill and demand a radical, real co-produced review of how the benefits system can truly support disabled people, not one where we are brought in to react to decisions already made. #TakingThePIP #WelfareReforms #DisabilityCuts #CoproductionWeek

[Rushaa Louise Hamid @RushaaHamid]

1) It's been used a lot this week, and while it might seem like a buzzword "co-production" is a powerful thing when not used in a cynical political manoeuvre. As someone who works in this area it's important that we all know what true meaningful co-production is #CoproductionWeek

[Rushaa Louise Hamid @RushaaHamid]

5) The Government's new disability benefits bill isn’t about support but about meeting an arbitrary fiscal target. And that target will plung hundreds of thousands of disabled people into poverty #TakingThePIP #WelfareReforms #DisabilityCuts https://t.co/TB3kECQLMB

[Saul Staniforth @SaulStaniforth]

"there was an amount of money the govt wanted to take out of the system and they've just been trying desperately to find a way to do that. Its had nothing to do with making the system better or fairer, its been all about taking money out"

Mikey Erhardt from @DisRightsUK

[Rushaa Louise Hamid @RushaaHamid]

I'm biased naturally, but we've just released some wonderful research looking at how the cost-of-living crisis has impacted young people from low-income households and their ability to get emotional support from their families! Absolutely amazing work from our peer researchers!

[Toynbee Hall @ToynbeeHall]

📢 New research alert

"The crisis makes us more alone" – our new peer research report reveals how the cost-of-living crisis is impacting young people's access to emotional support.

Key findings:

▸ Increased pressure to provide for family and support others
▸ Financial strain affecting mental health and relationships
▸ Challenges in transitioning to adulthood
▸ Intergenerational, gender, and cultural factors at play
▸ Importance of outside spaces and activities

What will help?

The report, co-produced with 12 peer researchers from Tower Hamlets, emphasises the need for better financial security, affordable social spaces, and more support for young people across generations.

Let's work together to ensure our young people feel supported.

Read more ➡️https://t.co/tQWRSXZDEC

#ThriveLDN #HealthFoundation #CostOfLivingCrisis #MentalHealth #PeerResearchers #TowerHamlets #YoungPeople

[Rushaa Louise Hamid @RushaaHamid]

One of the great things about my role at @ToynbeeHall is the variety of PAR projects I'm a part of. It's been wonderful working with the fantastic young people at @Switchback_ldn these past months to co-design this survey - if you have experience of probation please fill it in!

[Switchback @Switchback_ldn]

Have you been on probation? Help us to make the recall system fairer and complete our survey: https://t.co/GEJnlS4jMB

[Rushaa Louise Hamid @RushaaHamid]

A timely reminder of the huge impact that @ToynbeeHall has had over the past 140 years, and why I'm glad to be part of its story leading participatory action research!

[Matt Dronfield @MattDronfield]

Today is Christmas Eve—and the official 140th birthday of @ToynbeeHall. I can’t think of a more fitting moment to share this video, celebrating the legacy of an organisation that has stood in the heart of East London since 1884.

Over the decades, @ToynbeeHall’s doors have been open to everyone—offering free debt and legal advice, bringing communities together, and tackling poverty at its roots. From the earliest social reforms to the life-changing work we do today, our story continues to be shaped by the people we serve and the partnerships we forge.

Why does @ToynbeeHall still matter?
Because no one should face life’s toughest challenges alone. Whether it’s helping a single parent with debt, providing benefits advice to someone who’s just been diagnosed with a terminal illness, or giving local young people a space to be heard—@ToynbeeHall is here.

In this video, you’ll meet some of the individuals who embody Toynbee Hall’s spirit of resilience and compassion. Their stories remind us that 140 years on, our mission remains as urgent as ever.

Later today—at 4pm—our services will close for the Christmas break. When we return in January, it’ll mark the start of my seventh year at @ToynbeeHall, and I couldn’t be prouder to work alongside so many passionate, dedicated colleagues.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey. Together, we’re shaping what the next 140 years will look like—continuing to stand beside those who need support, and championing the belief that poverty should never hold anyone back.

Please watch, share, and let me know your thoughts in the comments. Here’s to 140 years of impact… and the promise of so much more.

[molly conger @socialistdogmom]

me researching: haha fuck yeah!!! yes!!

me arranging that research into coherent prose: well this fucking sucks. what the fuck.