COVID lockdowns show up inequalities in housing

COVID-19 has exacerbated vulnerabilities such as poor housing quality and location, housing affordability, energy poverty, and a range of social, mental and physical health conditions, new AHURI research has revealed.

The research, ‘The lived experience of COVID-19: housing and household resilience’, undertaken for AHURI by researchers from RMIT University examines housing outcomes for Australian households who experience a range of vulnerabilities during the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘We found that people who lived in lower-density and detached housing, had some income security and the use of a car had advantages, and were able to get on with hobbies such as gardening,’ said lead researcher Professor Ralph Horne from RMIT University. ‘On the other hand, for people in poorer quality, poorly situated dwellings with few local services, the COVID experience was more about spending additional time in cold, uninsulated or poorly heated homes, or needing to use public transport to access essential work, alongside well-founded anxieties about contamination and getting sick.’

However, problems with housing, such as poor energy use (particularly in the cold of winter) and lack of privacy, were made more apparent to householders when they were forced to stay at home for such long periods of time.

One of the biggest changes during COVID has been the large numbers of people working from home. The research found that people adapted the way they used time, space and materials to cope with the impacts of the pandemic, such as using balconies to escape their partner’s loud work phone conversations. Characteristics of the apartment itself—such as a good orientation and pleasant views—were also seen as supporting a ‘work from home lifestyle’, and were an important part of how people coped with isolation and mental health challenges.

However, problems with housing, such as poor energy use (particularly in the cold of winter) and lack of privacy, were made more apparent to householders when they were forced to stay at home for such long periods of time.

‘One of our research participants, a woman aged in her mid 80s, who, in previous winters used to spend most of her days at clubs and events—not only to socialise but also to keep her energy bills down, found she could no longer participate in those activities, and spent a lot of time during COVID lockdown trying to keep herself warm in the house by using electric blankets and warm clothing,’ said Professor Horne.

Other research participants noted the poor acoustic insulation within their homes or between apartments in multi-unit buildings. Nine participants explained that their new sensitivities to noise were because of their longer stays at home.