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The problem of social housing stigmatisation and innovations that can minimise its effects (Investigative Panel)

Summary

This Investigative Panel found that social housing neighbourhoods are stigmatised because government policies have worked to congregate socially disadvantaged people in social housing neighbourhoods while under-investing in the tenure. At the same time, the media has portrayed these neighbourhoods as a haven for criminals and the welfare dependent. The authors argue that social housing organisations need to better employ the media to highlight the good effects of social housing, and educate the public about inequities in the housing system.

Project Number: 40600
Research Theme: Public_and_Community_housing, Social_wellbeing
Project Leader: Jacobs, Keith
Funding Year: 2010
Research Centre: Southern

Description

This project drew together a panel of experts from government, welfare organisations, academia and the media to consider the impact of stigma for social housing residents and the policies that can be deployed to mitigate its effects.

It found that there are complex reasons why social housing neighbourhoods are subject to popular vilification. People in these neighbourhoods are seen not as victims of social inequity (resulting from policies that congregate disadvantaged people in certain locations), but as contributing to their problems by cultures of welfare dependency and crime.

The authors argue that stigma is a valuable concept to highlight how existing inequalities and ideology structure social relations, and can be used to understand government policy and the media. The media are seen to be on the one hand complicit in reinforcing negative portrayals of public housing tenants. Their actions are subject to commercial forces and embedded in the wider power relationships in society. Even so, the authors find that community media can be used to challenge stereotypes. The most successful attempts at reframing of images of social housing occurs when regeneration communities are able to harness the power of mainstream media outlets, and where ‘counter-arguments’ are utilized against pejorative reporting.

Challenging stigma might involve three main actors: housing agencies and organisations, media practitioners and lobby groups. Housing agencies need to engage in dialogue with external stakeholders (including social housing residents, police and real estate agents) as well as building relationships with the media, and seek to depict positive stories of resilience in the sector. Media practitioners might benefit from better professional development which supports balanced portrayal of social housing, and the use of social media to respond to negative media reporting. There was also support for national campaigns or lobby organisations that might address social housing stigma amongst policy-makers and politicians.

More Information

Final Report: No. 166: The stigmatisation of social housing: findings from a panel investigation
375 KB PDF Document