Basic needs vs complex policy Dr Simon Emsley Learn to listen: what communities are saying about housing 050411 FMRC

Basic needs vs complex policy

Dr Simon Emsley

Learn to listen: what communities are saying about housing 050411 FMRC

Basic needs/ complex policy Introduction

• Reflections on conducting community-based research around housing – what should we be talking to communities about; how should we be doing it?

• Examples where community-based research has worked to empower aspects of community


Housing is a basic need


Security – place – shelter – belonging – privacy (?)


Basic needs

• Health – Wellbeing – mental health• Educational capacity• Ability to participate (employment outcomes)

• Can be viewed either as a right or a means to greater social productivity


Needs not met for many

• 100,000 homeless• 850,000 in housing stress• Lower income families housing insecure• Some suburbs show very high occupancy

turnover (numbers new bonds in Auburn 40% of all households)

• Rising level person per dwelling since 2005


Numbers of Bonds as percentage of number of total householdsArea Total Households Total Bonds Total dwellings

September10 QuarterBonds as percentage of

total households

Auburn 20,109 7,979 40%

Bankstown 56,618 10,756 19%

Baulkham Hills 50,500 7,876 16%

Blacktown 88,309 18,441 21%

Blue Mountains 27,848 5,157 19%

Camden 15,878 2,615 16%

Campbelltown 47,232 9,043 19%

Fairfield 55,428 12,464 22%

Hawkesbury 20,623 4,161 20%

Holroyd 31,730 9,956 31%

Liverpool 51,595 12,353 24%

Parramatta 53,718 17,680 33%

Penrith 58,210 13,199 23%

Wollondilly 13,054 1,779 14%Learn to listen: what communities are saying about housing 050411 FMRC

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Housing stress = housing costs/household income

• Housing inequity reflects income and wealth inequality, and therefore power relations in the community

• Advocating for housing equity should challenges established relations of class power


Complex policy

• Policies governing access to social housing• Welfare transfers funding social housing

(National Affordable Housing Agreement)• National Rental Affordability Scheme

incentives• Taxation incentives (negative gearing, stamp

duties etc)• Planning incentives


Complex advocacy tasks

• Advocacy has tended to advance housing equity `under the radar’

• NRAS – stimulating construction through targeted bonus to investment capital

• Value of market maintained – market failure• Anti-renter policies maintained* qualify

• Should Commonwealth Rental Allowance be raised? (argument within Shelter on this)


Is complexity a means of naturalising housing inequity?

• Political complexities of advancing housing equity

• Reaction of vested interests – developers oppose affordable housing contribution; home owner lobby; dominant political position (market is class neutral)



Council says no to Condell Park boarding house

Canterbury Bankstown Express 30/3/11

by BIANCA MARTINSThe site proposed for the boarding house at Simmat Ave, Condell Park.A DEVELOPMENT application to build a nine-room boarding house in Simmat Ave,

Condell Park, was refused by Bankstown Council at last Tuesday night’s meeting.The boarding house, which proposed to accommodate up to 18 people, was rejected

by all councillors except for Max Parker.Critics said it was not in the public interest, was inconsistent with the character of the

area and would have an adverse impact on amenities and traffic.A debate erupted between Cr Parker, who backed the proposal, and objectors Cr Allan

Winterbottom and Cr Ian Stromborg.“It’s not a very wide street,” Cr Winterbottom said. “There’s a lot of traffic and it’s the

only horse zone (Bankstown Trotting Club is nearby) in Bankstown. With only one car spot and 15 to 20 cars set to be there, it’s ridiculous.”


Finding/giving housing need a voice

Housing Affordability Rental Housing SEPP review

Response 6.1 That the Department works with the boarding house industry, NSW Housing and other stakeholders, on ways to improve the community’s perception of the new boarding house model encouraged by AHSEPP


Community and class

• Community is not a unitary object with one set of interests

• Housing advocacy is partisan/class interested activity

• This aspect of housing advocacy has been undertheorised – is it possible to engage communities alienated from housing system without first thinking this through?


Past attempts to engage

• 1. Canterbury Child and Family Housing and Health Survey

• 2. Photovoice (SSWAHS) nutrition project• 3. A Sense of Home (Fairfield Housing

Taskforce proposed project)

• All these projects involve exploring positive feelings of participants to housing/health



Canterbury Child and Family Housing and Health Survey

Features of survey

Focus: Health as a basic `non-housing outcome’ of good housing

Family health interagency initiative – no extra resources

Engaged bilingual service workers in survey development (consultation – training)

Methodology/ethics oversight by UWSAttracted input from UWS and UNSW


Results• 107 interviews – 20 fields• Highlighted need for information around

property inspection and other aspects of rental process

• Strong indication of community awareness of relationship between health/wellbeing and housing security/affordability

• Surprise – positive attitude towards area they were living in – due to social mix of community


Presentation of findings another opportunity

• Participants and interviews interested in findings

• Broader community interest • Academic presentations on housing and

health• Launched by Mayor



Longer term results

• Canterbury Housing working group continued (what is it doing now?)

• Canterbury Council more closely focussed on Affordable Housing issues

• May have contributed to Federal priorities (eg NRAS) in post election period

• Overcrowding/flats examined by Shelter NSW• Review of property inspection information etc.


Photovoice project



What makes people feel special in your family?How do you make your family feel special?

Krishan: My mother-in-law migrated from Fiji and we had a BBQ to welcome her, that she’s part of the family now. She was helping and enjoying the BBQ. It made her feel very special. She lives with us: it’s three generations together.(Photovoice Project, SSWAHS)


Sevy Atsalis: After I breastfeed the baby (Katerine), dad (John) spends quiet time with the baby while I feed the other four children. The book (Old Macdonalds Farm) is a favorite in our family – we received it in our Early Literacy project bag and John is whispering the rhyme to the baby. John travels a lot so quiet time without the TV is important.


A Sense of Home (Fairfield Housing Taskforce)

• Community artist and digital camera workshops

• Capturing text and photos for exhibition• Focus on strengths – what makes your home

good, what makes a home feel like a home?• Long-run process attached to interagency

• Fairfield Council Cultural GrantLearn to listen: what communities are

saying about housing 050411 FMRC

Documents

Basic needs vs complex policy Dr Simon Emsley Learn to listen: what communities are saying about housing 050411 FMRC