Basic needs vs complex policy

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Basic needs vs complex policy

• Dr Simon Emsley

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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

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• Housing is a basic need

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Security place shelter belonging privacy
(?)
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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

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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

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Numbers of Bonds as percentage of number of total households Numbers of Bonds as percentage of number of total households Numbers of Bonds as percentage of number of total households Numbers of Bonds as percentage of number of total households
Area Total Households Total Bonds Total dwellings September10 Quarter Bonds 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
Source. Local Govt Housing Kit Database. Feb 2011
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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

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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

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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)

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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)

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(No Transcript)
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Council says no to Condell Park boarding house

• Canterbury Bankstown Express 30/3/11
• by BIANCA MARTINS
• The 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
  nights 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.
• Its not a very wide street, Cr Winterbottom
  said. Theres a lot of traffic and its 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, its ridiculous.

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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 communitys
  perception of the new boarding house model
  encouraged by AHSEPP

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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?

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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

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Canterbury Child and Family Housing and Health
Survey
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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 UWS
• Attracted input from UWS and UNSW

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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

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Presentation of findings another opportunity

• Participants and interviews interested in
  findings
• Broader community interest
• Academic presentations on housing and health
• Launched by Mayor

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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.

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Photovoice project
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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 shes
part of the family now. She was helping and
enjoying the BBQ. It made her feel very special.
She lives with us its three generations
together. (Photovoice Project, SSWAHS)
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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.
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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 Grant