Housing and poverty: a longitudinal analysis

Cross-sectional research suggests that the British housing system weakens the link between income poverty and housing outcomes, but this reveals little about the long-term relationships. We examine the relationship between income poverty and housing pathways over an 18-year period to 2008, and develop consensual approaches to poverty estimation, housing deprivation, and the prevalence of under and over-consumption. We find that chronic poverty is most strongly associated with housing pathways founded in social renting, whereas housing pathways founded in owner-occupation are more strongly associated with temporary poverty. Whilst housing deprivation is disproportionately prevalent among those who experienced chronic poverty, the overwhelming majority of people who experienced chronic poverty avoided housing deprivation. This evidence supports of the notion that the housing system, during this period, weakened the link between poverty and housing deprivation. Therefore it can be characterised as representing a ‘sector regime’ with different distributional tendencies from the wider welfare regime.     

Housing tenure, housing costs and poverty in Flanders (Belgium)

This article deals with the relation betweenhousing and poverty in Flanders (Belgium). Wedescribe how home tenure and housing costsdeveloped differently for different incomegroups. Furthermore, we assess the impact ofthese evolutions on poverty and welfaredistribution. Our analyses show that in theobserved period homeownership increasedstrongly among higher-income categories andremained stable or even decreased amonglow-income households. Average housing costsincreased more for low-income households thanfor high-income households, leading to a sharpincrease in problematic rent-to-income ratiosfor the former. It appears that especially theprivate rented sector is problematic. Thesocial rented sector is evaluated ratherpositively. Taking account of housing costsleads to higher poverty levels and higherwelfare inequality compared to the situationwhere only current income is used to calculatepoverty and welfare distribution.     

Do housing costs impact on poverty in rural areas?

Abstract

This research examines evidence for whether housing costs are more likely to be associated with poverty in rural than in urban Scotland. It reports the results from probit modelling of British Household Panel Survey data from 1999 to 2008. Empirical work is set in the context of understandings of factors associated with poverty, defined on an income basis, and specific features associated with rural locations. Attention is drawn to the way in which rurality is defined and that definition operationalized. The finding from the multivariate analysis is that a household’s housing costs do not appear to have a different association with its propensity to experience poverty in rural as opposed to urban Scotland. The paper sets out conclusions in the recognition of possible limitations and identifies ways in which the evidence can be extended.     

How Much Extra Affordable Housing is Needed in England?

Booming housing markets in the UK have once again brought into sharper focus the issues of housing affordability, housing need and ‘affordable housing’ solutions. This paper reviews issues in the measurement of problems of affordability, particularly access to homeownership, and reports on modelled estimates for England at regional and local levels. These models provide a method for comparing pressures in different areas, but also for measuring market change over time and its relationship with the economy. They are also useful for identifying and assessing the scope for ‘intermediate’ forms of provision between conventional homeownership and social renting. Measures of recent and prospective needs for additional affordable housing provision, derived from this analysis of affordability, are presented and assessed. These findings are linked to a broader contemporary policy debate about housing and planning policy in England.     

Immigration and Housing in an Emerging Global City, Sydney, Australia

By 2001, 33 per cent of Sydney's population of 4.2 million was born overseas. In the previous 15 years, 38 per cent of all immigrants to Australia settled in Sydney compared to the national population share of 21 per cent. Housing costs are highest in Sydney of any of the metropolitan cities in Australia and Sydney's emergence as a global city affects the housing market and has attracted diverse communities and skilled immigrants. This article presents Australian Bureau of Statistics census data to trace trends in home ownership and tenure among key immigrant groups in Sydney from the post-war era to recent times. It discusses the key factors that influence immigrant progress through the housing market and explores the dynamics of Sydney's residential mosaic.     

Population Aging,Disability and Housing Accessibility: Implications for Sub-national Areas in the United States

The older population in many countries is large and growing rapidly, increasing the number of people with disabilities and driving up the need for accessible housing. In a previous study, the authors projected the number of households in the USA with at least one disabled resident and estimated the probability that a newly built single-family detached unit will house at least one disabled resident during its expected lifetime. This study extends the analysis to the sub-national level by constructing similar estimates and projections for four states that differ widely on two characteristics affecting the need for accessible housing: age structure and disability rates. The results vary from state to state, but all four display a substantial need for accessible housing. Homebuilders, planners and policy makers are urged to account for this need when building new homes and making modifications to the current housing stock.     

Housing,Lone Parenthood and Gender: A Qualitative Approach in Southern Europe

One of the most significant changes affecting family structures in Europe over the last few decades is the remarkable increase in the number of lone-parent families as a result of the dissolution of relationships. Housing is one of the primary needs that arises. Attitudes for coping with the situation are varied and are determined by a number of factors—legal/legislative framework, finances and employment, psycho-social factors—which all affect men and women differently in terms of housing. The main goal of this research is to address, from the gender perspective, the constraints, needs and preferences expressed by men and women who become lone parents as a result of separation. The paper has adopted a qualitative method based on discussion groups, including a sample of divorced or separated men and women living as lone parents in Southern Europe.     

Neighbourhood inequality spillover effects of gentrification

Previous research has considered how gentrification may alter the racial composition, income composition and income segregation within a neighbourhood. An increase in income segregation at the neighbourhood level may be evidenced by a reduction in income inequality, which may harm low-income households. We examine how the influence of gentrification, with respect to changes in income inequality at the neighbourhood level over time, may spill over into surrounding neighbourhoods as lower-income households' location choices change. We use data from the 30 largest Core Based Statistical Areas in the US from 2000–2010 and find that areas bordering newly gentrified neighbourhoods experience an increase in income inequality (potentially benefiting low-income households). This effect appears to be concentrated in relatively smaller CBSAs, where lower-income households may have less mobility, and in surrounding neighbourhoods that are themselves relatively lower-income.     

Housing ownership and housing wealth: new evidence in transitional China

Ever since housing was transformed from the most important welfare benefit to the most valuable form of private property through radical housing reform in 1998, housing allocation mechanisms in China have been characterized by the coexistence of market logic and socialist legacy. Thus, the Chinese housing system exhibits a transitional nature as the country moves away from a socialist housing system towards a privatized housing system. Using the 2011 Chinese Household Finance Survey, we not only examine these changes in private ownership of housing, but also give an updated evaluation of the privatization process with new empirical evidence. We develop a conceptual framework and an empirical analysis to shed light on distinct housing inequality patterns in transitional urban China. Our results show that both socioeconomic characteristics and socialist institutions contribute to housing inequality, but they follow different paths in the reform and have different impacts on housing inequality.     

Intersections of inequality in homeownership in Sweden

Abstract

Inequalities relating to ownership of housing have become a major issue de jour in many Western societies. This article examines how the distribution of homeownership in Sweden relates to two factors widely seen as significant to such inequalities, namely parental tenure status and place of birth. We use longitudinal registry data to examine the bearing of these two factors on individual-level tenure progression since the beginning of the 1990s for persons at different stages of their housing careers. We extend existing understandings of Swedish homeownership patterns by demonstrating that inequalities relating to place of birth and parental tenure intersect with one another in ways that substantially advantage certain subgroups while disadvantaging others, and by demonstrating that experiences of entry into homeownership have in recent years been changing in markedly different ways for these different subgroups. Overall, Swedish homeownership inequalities, far from dissipating, appear to be hardening along existing lines.     

Housing need outcomes in England through changing times: demographic,market and policy drivers of change

The housing system in England has experienced unprecedented stress and instability over the last decade, absorbing the impact of demographic pressure, a credit-fuelled boom, financial crisis, recession and policy change. A failing supply system and unexpected tenure changes now confront austerity and welfare cutback. How have these conditions impacted on traditional and contemporary indicators of housing need and what does this tell us about the drivers and dynamics of housing need outcomes? Drawing mainly on analysis of large-scale longitudinal and cross-sectional surveys, linked to subregional market data, this paper describes and models the changes in housing need outcomes over two decades. It explores the impact of demography, market affordability, labour markets, tenure change and supply on these outcomes. Particular attention is paid to the persistence or recurrence of need in the context of different housing pathways and different market contexts, including the relationship with poverty.     

Housing costs and poverty: analysing recent australian trends

This paper examines recent trends in Australian poverty, both measured using disposable income (before housing costs, BHC) and income after subtracting housing costs (AHC). Household-level data from Australian Bureau of Statistics household income surveys are used to estimate relative poverty rates since 1999–00. Changes in the Australian housing market, especially the large increase in house prices and falling home ownership, mean that trends and relative levels of poverty are quite different when using these two alternative measures of resources. While BHC poverty has decreased, AHC poverty has not—because of rising housing costs. These shifts have changed the profile of AHC poverty and raise important questions about the adequacy and sustainability of existing housing and income support policies.

     

略论纳入住房保障体系家庭的收入标准问题

总结了当前住房保障体系中关于保障家庭划分原则的缺陷,结合以往学者的研究,建立了以可支付性为基础的基本理论模型,根据家庭对不同住房的可支付情况对家庭进行了划分,并最终确定了划分享受住房保障家庭的基本原则。该原则可以表示为,纳入住房保障体系的家庭应当无法支付满足家庭基本居住需求的住房。最后,以上述基本原则为基础,提出了进一步完善我国住房保障体系的相关建议。     

Reconciling Policy Tensions on the Frontlines of Indigenous Housing Provision in Australia: Reflexivity,Resistance and Hybridity

In Australia, significant recent reforms reposition Indigenous housing provision and management in remote and town camp communities under the mainstream public housing model. Two competing discourses surround this shift: a federal discourse of standardisation and state discourses of local responsiveness centred on the introduction of new community engagement processes into Indigenous public housing. This paper reports on qualitative research into the micro-scale of policy implementation to highlight policy-to-practice translation on the frontlines of Indigenous housing. Based on interviews with Indigenous housing stakeholders, this paper argues the capacity to support locally responsive housing management is problematic under the current arrangements. The analytical framework of realist governmentality reveals frontline housing professionals' role in the local resolution of tensions between federal and state policy levers. A focus on agent reflexivity and resistance on the frontline assists in capturing the dynamic (hybrid) identity of Indigenous public housing, as an atypical Australian example of hybridity in social housing.     

Building the Connection Between Housing Needs and Metropolitan Planning in Sydney,Australia

The theme of a more compact city has been a central feature of planning policy for Sydney's development over the last two decades. Urban consolidation, in the form of attached dwellings in medium- and high-density configurations, has become the predominant form of new residential development since the early 1990s. One of the largely untested claims for this policy is that it provides more housing choice for an increasingly diverse population and that simply building larger amounts of smaller housing in high-density concentrations will be sufficient to meet that demand. As a result, planning for higher density housing has been undertaken with little explicit recognition of the housing sub-markets higher density housing caters for or their specific spatial characteristics within the city. These issues are examined by an analysis of the socio-economic characteristics of areas with high concentrations of attached housing. These data are processed by factor analysis to identify and locate the range of sub-markets within attached housing and additional small area data used to fill out the market profiling. The results reveal that a range of specific housing needs are met by this form of housing with discriminative characteristics in certain locations. In other words, higher density housing is associated with a range of locationally specific and spatially distinctive sub-markets. These findings are particularly relevant and timely as a new metropolitan strategy is in preparation for Sydney where an estimated 60–70 per cent of new dwelling provision in the next 30 years will take place within existing suburbs through higher density redevelopment. Planning for such development must take into account the local markets for such accommodation which have very different characteristics in different parts of the city.     

Housing policy in remote Indigenous communities: how politics obstructs good policy

Abstract

When it comes to issues of housing policy, remote Indigenous housing often presents the extreme case. The failures of housing policy are most acute in remote Indigenous Australia, but despite the need to learn from the policy mistakes of the past, there has been little detailed analysis of the policy history. Through documentary and empirical analysis, we show that policies have either failed to be adapted to cultural and geographic contexts or, when they have been culturally responsive, they have lacked attention to the complexities of service delivery. Despite differences in policy settings, the long view is one of the normalization of Indigenous communities, although research points to the need for culturally appropriate arrangements. We argue that rather than politically motivated short-termism, governments need to develop a medium- to long-term approach that approaches policy solutions incrementally, builds capacity within the state and Indigenous communities, and is based on the evidence.     

A systematic review of outcomes associated with participation in Housing First programs

Housing First (HF) models have gained popularity among many politicians, policy-makers, and social service providers. Proponents of this model argue for its strength by drawing on research evidence. In other words, the use of HF is deemed an ‘evidence-based practice.’ Despite this, a strong synthesis of the evidence used to champion these models is lacking. This article seeks to address this gap, with a review focused on outcomes associated with participation in HF programs. Specifically, we investigate the details of program design coupled with specific outcomes, so as to better inform future action and research. We conclude that the research forming the evidence base for HF is methodologically strong. However, additional research is needed to determine the benefits of HF for diverse populations. Additional research is also required to conclusively determine the impact of HF on substance use and psychiatric treatment. We recommend that policy-makers consider the needs of local populations when developing and implementing HF programing.     

Housing Consumption and Housing Inequality in Chinese Cities During the First Decade of the Twenty-First Century

During the first decade of the twenty-first century, Chinese cities have experienced the unprecedented housing development and marketization, which has profoundly changed housing consumption. Using the latest census data, this paper provides the first evaluation of housing consumption in Chinese cities during 2000–2010. Not surprisingly, housing consumption has improved significantly over time, especially in the first five years due to more rapid marketization. Yet, housing inequality has increased significantly over time, especially across education groups. There is also significant spatial inequality at provincial level; yet, it has generally declined over time except inequality in homeownership and subsidized housing. Improved housing consumption and a complex pattern of housing inequality are two main characteristics of housing consumption during this decade.     

香港公屋本质,公屋设计和居住实态

文章分析了香港在不同时期的公屋政策，公屋设计及居住实态。     

Living on the Margins: Comparing Older Private Renters and Older Public Housing Tenants in Sydney,Australia

An increasing number of older Australians are dependent on the private rental market for their accommodation. Through the use of semi-structured in-depth interviews, the life circumstances of older renters (65 plus) in both public housing and private rented accommodation in Sydney are explored and compared. Using Amartya Sen's concepts of capabilities and functionings, the study illustrates that due mainly to lower accommodation costs and greater security of tenure, the public housing tenants interviewed had far greater capability to live a life they valued. In contrast, most interviewees in the private rental market were struggling financially and were extremely anxious about their security of tenure. Their capacity to control their present and their future was very limited.