Housing, public policy and social inclusion

Summary

This project will explore the ways in which housing processes can affect economic and social disadvantage and whether, and to what extent, housing and related policies and programs can be effective in addressing such disadvantage. The project will develop, and draw out, the implications of housing processes which can affect economic and social disadvantage.


Project Number: 50566
Research Theme: Public_and_Community_Housing, Social_Wellbeing
Project Leader: Hulse, Kath
Funding Year: 2009
Research Centre: Swinburne-Monash

Description

The national social inclusion agenda recognises that, despite 15 years of economic growth, ‘deep’ socio-economic disadvantage or social exclusion persists for some people and some places. It envisages policies to strengthen social inclusion which are ‘joined up’ across different policy areas and between different levels of government. Early policy development has focused on two priority areas: homelessness and Indigenous housing. In this project, we extend this work by examining both exclusion from housing and processes of exclusion through housing.

 The research questions are:

  • In the context of contemporary economic and social change, how do housing processes affect the ways in which some people, and people living in particular places, experience disadvantage?
  • What are the implications of the above findings for housing and related policies that aim to contribute to social inclusion and how effective are current programs?
  • What are the lessons for Australia of international good practice in evaluation of housing and other relevant policies aimed at achieving social inclusion?
The project methodology has three stages
  • Conceptual development through ‘unpacking’ and elaboration of the ways in which housing processes affect social in/exclusion, through a desk-based literature review;
  • Analysis of the scope and effectiveness of current housing and place-based programs in terms of joined up policies/programs (both horizontally between policy areas and vertically between different levels of government) through four Australian case studies, involving review of relevant documents and interviews with key policy-makers in different policy areas. There will also be a UK case study to learn from the experiences of more than 10 years of policies/programs aimed at increasing social inclusion, including good practice in evaluating policies/programs;
  • Three policy workshops (Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra) to discuss the findings and to develop policy implications.
The project will deliver a Final Report that: sets out the opportunities and challenges of pursuing a social inclusion agenda through housing policy interventions, provides guidance on ways in which housing and related policies can contribute to the social inclusion agenda, and provides advice on the best ways to evaluate policies aimed at achieving social inclusion based on international best practice.

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