Joe Finnerty

Understanding Housing Policy (2nd ed.)

This is the second edition of Brian Lund’s introduction to UK housing policy, covering the period from the origins of modern housing policy in the mid-19th century to the policy initiatives of the current coalition government. Broadly speaking, the discipline of housing policy is understood as being concerned with the rationale, nature and impacts of state intervention in the housing market to achieve social objectives or to address social problems. Lund suggests a five-fold taxonomy of housing policy approaches in chapters one and two, including neo-liberalism, social reformism, Marxism (all of which are characterised as structural), and behaviourism (which finds the source of housing problems in individual behaviour). However, Lund suggests that these approaches are not mutually exclusive— e.g. elements of the behavioural approach can be found in the Marxist idea of the lumpen proletariat and in social reformism (including in the Blairite Third Way’s stress on responsibilities). Social constructionism, the fifth approach, is different to both the structural and behavioural approaches in that it analyses how housing issues come to be defined as a problem and how these problems are in turn explained and policy responses put in place. This usefully alerts the novice reader to the fact that the explananda in housing policy are both the underlying housing issues and the policies (or lack of them) purporting to address these issues. A chronological discussion of general housing policy in the UK, tracing the varying fortunes of the different tenures since the 19th century, is presented in chapter three. The following chapter four explores the changing governance of housing, with the relations between the central and local state, and the emergence of an ‘enabling role’ for local authorities, being at the centre of the narrative. Chapter five on comparative housing policy examines the United States, Germany, Sweden, Spain, and the Czech Republic, and examines the evidence of a convergence towards the (re-)commodification of housing policy since the 1980s, while noting the data limitations which hamper this kind of analysis. Four subsequent substantive chapters on affordability, homelessness, quality, and poor neighbourhoods each combine a chronological account of policy development with clear discussions of related theory and research. Chapter six examines the meaning of, and policies around, housing affordability, including the shift towards means-tested consumer subsidies in the 1980s and 1990s, the declining supports for homeownership, and the impact of the credit crunch on policies to stimulate housing supply. Policy and provision for those who are homeless are discussedinchapterseven,whichalsoteases out some the complex issues around the definition and the measurement of this social problem.

Changing precarities in the Irish housing system: supplier-generated changes in security of tenure for domiciled households

ABSTRACTThis article examines the changing landscape of precarity in the Irish housing system. The article explores, via desk-based research, supplier-generated changes to security of tenure for th...

Social Housing Policy and Provision: A Changing Regime?

This chapter examines the changing regime of social housing policy and provision in Ireland. It argues that significant transformations are occurring in social housing, involving an increasingly prominent role for private provision in several aspects of delivery and financing. Some of these transformations can be traced to policy shifts dating back over two decades; however, they have been given added impetus since the economic crisis of 2008. While official policy discourse conceptualises increased reliance on private provision as a shift towards tenure neutrality and as a pragmatic response to borrowing and supply constraints, particularly given an improved regulatory framework, it has overlooked certain negative consequences of these transformations, primarily the dilution of housing security and the uncertainty of household access given the volatile nature of much of this private provision.

Exploring the housing needs of older people in standard and sheltered social housing

Objective: Our home can have a major impact on our physical and mental health; this is particularly true for older people who may spend more time at home. Older people in social (i.e., public) housing are particularly vulnerable. Housing options for older people in social housing include standard design dwellings or specially designed “sheltered housing.” The most suitable housing model should be identified, with older people consulted in this process. Method: Survey of older people (aged ≥60) living in standard or sheltered social housing. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS Version 22. Results: Overall, 380 surveys were returned (response rate = 47.2%). All older people had similar housing needs. Those in sheltered housing were more satisfied with the physical home design and reported more positive outcomes. Older people in standard housing were less likely to have necessary adaptations to facilitate aging-in-place. Discussion: Older people in standard housing reported more disability/illnesses, are worried about the future, and felt less safe at home. However, few wanted to move, and very few viewed sheltered housing as an alternative, suggesting limited knowledge about their housing options. Future social housing designs should be flexible, that is, adaptable to the needs of the tenants over time.