Posts Tagged ‘social housing’

Call for papers

July 5, 2017     Leave a Comment

We welcome proposals for papers from those working within and beyond the social sciences on any aspects of welfare conditionality and associated debates

Read More

Housing research finds fixed-term tenancies cause anxiety

March 1, 2016     Leave a Comment

Findings from the first wave of our research on social housing are published today. The research by Prof Suzanne Fitzpatrick and Dr Beth Watts from Heriot Watt University focuses on fixed-term tenancies in social housing. It includes views from landlords and tenants, as well as other stakeholders.

The research found that fixed-term tenancies are causing considerable anxiety for some tenants, particularly those with a disability or health problems and for families with children. Some of the social landlords who were initially most enthusiastic about FTTs have become disillusioned about them because it seems unlikely they will generate any significant number of additional lettings. There are also concerns about administrative cost and complexity and the potential to destabilise communities.

The research project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, is continuing until 2018. Our project team is interviewing tenants twice more over time.

Read the full report

More conditionality in social housing? – ask presentations

October 20, 2015     Leave a Comment

Are we seeing more conditionality in social housing? That was the theme of recent presentations by team members Suzanne Fitzpatrick and Beth Watts. Professor Fitzpatrick at the National Housing Federation management conference and Dr Watts the Social Housing Research and Insight Conference this month outlined the shift away from the ‘home for life’ model in England. The situation is contrasted with that in Scotland, where there has been little appetite for fixed-term tenancies. Read their slides here.

‘Disciplining the poor?’: conditionality in social housing

September 25, 2014     Leave a Comment

In the first of a series of blogs highlighting our recently published briefing papers, Beth Watts and Suzanne Fitzpatrick explore the issues surrounding conditionality in social housing.

What is the role of social housing? Alongside other aims – to provide affordable accommodation of a decent standard to households on a low income (see here and here), and to create and maintain ‘mixed’ and ‘sustainable’ communities (see here and here) –  some would argue that social housing is increasingly serving the function of ‘disciplining the poor’ via the regulation of tenant behaviour (see Alex Marsh’s blog on this theme here). It is this aspect of social housing policy and practice that is the focus of the next in our series of briefing papers. Read More

ESRCAn ESRC large grant
University of Glasgow Heriot Watt University University of Salford Manchester Sheffield Hallam University University of Sheffield University of York