Long-term Housing Research Articles

Managing long-term wellness in captive sea turtles

AbstractCircumstances surrounding advances in stranding response and veterinary care have created a growing need for the long-term housing of captive sea turtles. However, the difficulty in recreating natural conditions in captive settings places a responsibility on caregivers to offset wild-type behavioural deficits with enrichment programming that is, preferably, commensurate with the limitations of each enclosure. Though standardised, multi-institutional behavioural monitoring programmes are currently lacking for marine turtles, facilities housing (or planning to house) sea turtles for the long-term are strongly advised to include ‘wellness’ as a fundamental part of their animal care protocol. Here, concepts of wellness and enrichment in sea turtles are reviewed, and a framework for developing longterm behavioural monitoring programming is provided.

Supporting the Housing Needs of Domestic Violence Shelter Residents: Considerations for Survivors With and Without Disabilities

Survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) often must contend with the loss of stable housing when attempting to escape an abusive relationship. IPV survivors with disabilities face additional barriers, as they may struggle to find housing that is accessible and meets their disability-related needs. This study explores housing-related, financial, and demographic factors potentially affecting the long-term housing prospects of IPV survivors (n = 456) with and without disabilities residing in an emergency domestic violence shelter. Records covering a 6-year service period were assessed. Results indicate possible financial, vocational, and educational barriers that could impede IPV survivors from securing stable, permanent housing. Domestic violence shelters can help survivors by addressing these barriers in their operating policies and procedures. Suggestions are provided for giving material and operational support to residents, enabling them to pursue economic independence, extending the length of time allowable for shelter stays, and advocating for accessible housing options for survivors with disabilities.

Housing Provision for Women Experiencing Domestic and Family Violence in NSW during COVID-19

ABSTRACT Domestic and family violence (DFV) increased in complexity during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating further opportunities to help women escape DFV. Governments responded by injecting ad-hoc funding into temporary housing options and homelessness services. This paper provides an integrated discussion between the COVID-driven responses (policy analysis) and the experiences of DFV service providers in NSW, Australia (empirical data), which showed that existing policies are often limited in scope and out of touch with the DFV survivors’ long-term housing and support needs. A more holistic approach with DFV targeted housing responses and policies is needed to more effectively help women leaving DFV.

Impact of the Domestic Violence Housing First Model on Survivors' Safety and Housing Stability: 12-Month Findings.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread and devastating phenomenon resulting in a myriad of long-term consequences for survivors and their children. IPV victimization not only has negative health and economic consequences, it has also been linked to homelessness and housing instability. In response, the Domestic Violence Housing First (DVHF) model is being used in some domestic violence (DV) agencies to help survivors attain safe and stable housing. The model includes using individualized advocacy and/or flexible funding to help survivors meet these goals. Using a longitudinal, quasi-experimental design, the current study involved conducting interviews with survivors and examining agency records to investigate the effectiveness of this model. We hypothesized that survivors who received DVHF would experience less re-abuse and greater housing stability over 12 months compared to those who received services as usual (SAU). The sample included 345 IPV survivors who had been homeless or unstably housed when they approached one of five DV programs for help. Interviews were spaced 6 months apart (when survivors first sought services as well as 6 months and 12 months later). Longitudinal analyses showed that survivors who received the DVHF model reported greater improvements in housing stability at both the 6-month and 12-month time points compared to those receiving SAU. At the 12-month time point, survivors who had received DVHF reported decreased physical, psychological, and economic abuse, as well as the use of their children against them as a form of abuse. This study adds to a growing body of evidence supporting this model's effectiveness and adds to our understanding of factors impacting the long-term housing stability and safety for IPV survivors.

My home is no longer my castle. Collaborative housing as an element of sharing economy

Collaborative housing is considered a long-term housing option based on the idea of sharing space in a community-boosting manner. Residents share areas like laundry, utility or leisure rooms. On this basis the authors argue that housing may be treated as a commodity that could be shared just like sharing economy goods are. Thus the aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of collaborative housing from the sharing economy perspective. To achieve the aim, concepts of Curtis and Lehner (2019) and Curtis (2021) were applied to check what collaborative housing lacks to become a fully-fledged sharing economy entity. Apart from the nature of housing, which is by no means a fast moving consumer good, the lack of a digital platform that is the basis of most sharing economy entities, is the most visible difference between collaborative housing and sharing economy entities. Moreover, a questionnaire survey was conducted among prospective housing market users in Poland to check their awareness and readiness for this housing option. The research findings confirmed that they are still very low among housing market participants and private property is still considered considerably better than shared property. However, a tighter connection between collaborative housing and the sharing economy may provide the impetus for the young generation to enter this form of housing. The study is a contribution to the debate on collective housing options in Europe and may be considered novel as it attempts to conceptualize and position collaborative housing within the sharing economy context.

Centering Our Voices: Experiences of Violence Among Homeless African American Women.

Women experiencing homelessness who are also survivors of violence require uniquely tailored programs to accommodate complex needs. To understand how violence shaped the lives of formerly homeless African American women, an instrumental case study design and community-based participatory research approach was utilized in this qualitative study. Focus group interviews with graduates (N = 40) from a long-term transitional housing program were conducted. Using thematic analysis, identified themes included: cycles of violence, violence in the community, relationships with children, and coping with violence. These themes illustrated survivors' growth through supportive programming and highlighted services dedicated to empowering women who have experienced violence.

People-centered disaster recovery: A comparison of long-term outcomes of housing reconstruction in Thailand, India, and Japan

Although scholars recognize the importance of long-term recovery outcomes for disaster risk reduction and community empowerment, even within the limited research on long-term housing recovery, cross-national and temporal comparisons of multiple reconstruction projects are rare. Drawing on a systematic literature review and case-study approach, this paper explores two case studies of post-disaster housing reconstruction projects, each from three countries in Asia-- India, Thailand, and Japan. The cases are post-disaster housing reconstruction after the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake and 2008 Kosi River floods in Bihar in India, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and 2014 Chiang Rai Earthquake in Thailand, and the 1995 Great Hanshin Awaji (Kobe) Earthquake and 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. Comparisons across cases found consistency as well as change in each country. Analysis of reconstruction policies, programs, and governance systems led to several key findings, identifying housing reconstruction processes that led to beneficial longer-term outcomes in social, economic, technical and environmental aspects in the three countries. In contrast to government-driven housing recovery programs in Japan, housing recovery programs in both India and Thailand included crucial support from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) integrated with and complementing official support from the government. Able to translate government policies into practice in ways that community needs could be met in increasingly people-centered ways, CSOs played significant roles in the provision of needed housing units and beyond, in facilitating increased flexibility of housing recovery options, filling gaps as an intermediary between the government and the needs of the people.

Supporting Pregnant Women Experiencing Homelessness

ABSTRACT Despite the significant needs of pregnant homeless women, the paucity of literature on this topic has contributed to a gap in practice and policy knowledge about this vulnerable group. Drawing on two research projects undertaken in Victoria, Australia, the authors analysed interviews with women experiencing homelessness and interviews and focus groups with policy practitioners and service providers. Service system barriers faced by pregnant homeless women and the support needed to stabilise housing were explored. Results showed how the resource-depleted housing context, combined with organisational restrictions that constrained care coordination and continuity, generated exclusionary outcomes for pregnant homeless women. These findings, informed by a feminist critical social work framework, draw attention to: the harms of gender-blind policy and practice; the approaches to providing care that work; and a need within social work to address challenges unique to pregnant women experiencing homelessness. IMPLICATIONS Policy and practice that do not recognise gender generate exclusionary outcomes for pregnant homeless women. There is a pressing need for affordable, suitable and long-term housing options for pregnant homeless women Rapid rehousing into permanent accommodation that recognises pregnancy as a criterion is needed to meet requirements of pregnant homeless women. A feminist critical social work approach highlights the need for continuous and coordinated care provision for pregnant homeless women

Effects of Housing System on Anxiety, Chronic Stress, Fear, and Immune Function in Bovan Brown Laying Hens.

Simple SummaryThe objectives of this study were to determine if housing Bovan brown laying hens in conventional cages or enriched floor pens impacted novel physiological and behavioral markers for animal welfare and whether we can use these markers to assess animal welfare. We found that birds that were housed in conventional cages showed increased tonic immobility durations (indication of fearfulness), decreased fecal Immunoglobulin A (indicator of immune function), and increased feather corticosterone concentrations (indicator of chronic stress) compared to hens that were housed in enriched pens. These results indicate that caged birds are more stressed, have reduced immune function, and are more fearful than birds that are housed in pens. In contrast to expectations, we found that caged hens showed a shorter latency to feed during attention bias testing, indicating reduced anxiety compared to birds from pens. Overall, we found that conventional cages generally impacted animal welfare negatively, with the exception of anxiety. In addition, the results suggest that the chosen novel markers for animal welfare show appropriate contrast between long-term housing systems for laying hens. Yet, additional work needs to be done before these measures can be used more broadly.The scientific community needs objective measures to appropriately assess animal welfare. The study objective was to assess the impact of housing system on novel physiological and behavioral measurements of animal welfare for laying hens, including secretory and plasma Immunoglobulin (IgA; immune function), feather corticosterone (chronic stress), and attention bias testing (ABT; anxiety), in addition to the well-validated tonic immobility test (TI; fearfulness). To test this, 184 Bovan brown hens were housed in 28 conventional cages (3 birds/cage) and 4 enriched pens (25 birds/pen). Feces, blood, and feathers were collected 4 times between week 22 and 43 to quantify secretory and plasma IgA and feather corticosterone concentrations. TI tests and ABT were performed once. Hens that were from cages tended to show longer TI, had increased feather corticosterone, and decreased secretory IgA at 22 weeks of age. The caged hens fed quicker, and more hens fed during the ABT compared to the penned hens. Hens that were in conventional cages showed somewhat poorer welfare outcomes than the hens in enriched pens, as indicated by increased chronic stress, decreased immune function at 22 weeks of age but no other ages, somewhat increased fear, but reduced anxiety. Overall, these novel markers show some appropriate contrast between housing treatments and may be useful in an animal welfare assessment context for laying hens. More research is needed to confirm these findings.

Of not passing: homelessness, addiction, mental health and care during COVID-19

People experiencing homelessness in the UK were unconditionally offered housing (and support) from the beginning of the first lockdown in March 2020. For many, that meant ‘(re)entering’ the support system...

"Nobody Wants to Talk About It, Especially in This Building": A Qualitative Study of How People Living in Permanent Supportive Housing Approach End-Of-Life Care.

Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is long-term affordable housing with onsite social services. End-of-life care (EOLC) involves a discussion about the type of medical care an individual hopes to receive at the end of their life. This qualitative study examines the goals, desires, and expectations for EOLC for people living in PSH. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 formerly homeless residents in four PSH facilities in San Francisco, California and analyzed using the framework method. The interviews reveal how an individual's experience with housing precarity and with the PSH setting shape their preferences and expectations for the end of life. While PSH residents value social support in their final days, social isolation in PSH serves as a barrier to receiving such support. Results from this work can inform policies and programs to support people living in PSH in achieving their desired death.

Work in Long-Term Restrictive Housing and Prison Personnel Perceptions of the Humanity of People Who Are Incarcerated

The punitive era in the United States and other countries has included reliance on long-term restrictive housing (LTRH)—consisting of solitary confinement with few privileges—as a means of managing violent and disruptive individuals in prison. We examine how work in such housing may influence how personnel, including officers and staff, view individuals in prison and assess two hypotheses. First, those who work in LTRH will be more likely to hold a dehumanized view of these individuals. Second, the theoretical mechanisms through which such a view may arise involve brutalization, organizational context and culture, role conflict and distancing, and empathy fatigue. We assess these hypotheses using a mixed-methods study, analyzing data from a large-scale prison personnel survey ( n = 9,656) and qualitative focus group and interview data ( n = 144). Implications of the study’s findings for theory and research on restrictive housing, corrections, and the punitive era are discussed.

Nowhere to go: Housing pathways of college students with foster care and homelessness experience

AbstractThis study builds on previous research to understand longer term housing experiences in late adolescence and early adulthood for vulnerable college students. Using a biographical, qualitative method, we study high school and college housing and family circumstances for 27 students with homelessness or foster care experience enrolled in 4‐year colleges in Georgia. We identified three different housing pathway types in high school—family homelessness, unaccompanied youth and foster care. Housing instability and frequent moves were common in high school among all housing pathway types. In college, students who were able to find low or no‐cost housing and those who identified a foster care pathway in high school achieved greater housing stability. Others students experienced a continuation of housing instability that began in high school. Additional funding to cover the cost of on‐campus housing would likely contribute to increased stability. Additional strategies, such as rental assistance programmes tailored for college students, may be needed to address housing instability for vulnerable college students. More research on the unmet housing needs and the consequences of housing instability during college for homeless and foster youth is needed to further a housing policy agenda that focuses on practical solutions.

A Study on the Effect of Housing Choice on Residential Satisfaction in Seoul Metropolitan Area : Focusing on Characteristics by Region, Life Cycle, and Income

The purpose of this study is to reveal the effect of housing choice factors and resident characteristics on housing satisfaction by region, income, and life cycle using data from the Korea Labor Survey Panel through regression analysis. As a result of the analysis, the following results and implications were derived. First, housing choice factors do not necessarily have a positive effect on housing satisfaction, and housing choice that expects an increase in real estate value has a negative effect on housing satisfaction. In addition, it is necessary to provide an equal educational environment and comfortable living environment for each living area, and to provide appropriate convenience facilities for living areas with low residential satisfaction. Second, affordable rental housing should be provided near employment sites or public transportation to increase employment accessibility for young people in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, while providing affordable housing for young people from low-income families. In addition, long-term rental housing and job support should be continued for the middle-aged and elderly, and housing repair and care services should be provided in areas densely populated with the elderly.

Variability in treatment outcomes from a housing intervention for young mothers misusing substances and experiencing homelessness by sexual identity

Sexual minority (SM) youth have twice the risk of experiencing homelessness compared to their heterosexual peers. Further, SM youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) report greater depression symptoms and substance use compared to heterosexual YEH. Housing First is an intervention that provides scattered-site individual apartments, without any prerequisite conditions for eligibility, and additional services to support long-term housing sustainment; however, few studies have examined the effectiveness of this approach for SM youth. The current study utilized data from a RCT that provided housing to young mothers experiencing homelessness to examine if treatment effects varied by mothers’ sexual identity. Mothers were randomly assigned to services as usual (i.e., provided a referral sheet of all services available in the community; SAU), Housing only (i.e., three months of utility and rental assistance; Housing), or housing and supportive services (integrates independent housing, Strengths-Based Outreach and Advocacy (SBOA), HIV prevention, and substance use/mental health counseling; Housing + SS). Latent growth curve models were estimated to assess how substance use and depression symptoms changed over the 12 months. SM mothers receiving SAU or Housing did not experience a significant change in substance use or depression symptoms. All groups of heterosexual mothers and SM mothers receiving Housing + SS had less substance use and depression symptoms at twelve months, with SM mothers in Housing + SS evidencing a steeper decline in substance use and depression symptoms. This study provides some of the first evidence that Housing First can mitigate the mental health and substance use concerns of SM YEH. Given SM’s higher rates of homelessness, substance use, and depression symptoms, Housing First should be further explored as an intervention to address their unique needs.

Build Back Better and Long-Term Housing Recovery: Assessing Community Housing Resilience and the Role of Insurance Post Disaster

The purpose of this research is to better understand community housing resilience and the role of insurance using a Build Back Better Long-term Recovery Housing framework to analyze approaches and effects on long-term housing rebuilding and recovery. A comparative case study approach is taken to assess insurance policies and outcomes following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the Canterbury earthquake sequence in Christchurch, New Zealand, both affluent urban communities with strong insurance markets. Framed within the context of “Build Back Better”, the community housing and insurance resilience assessment is based on five key indicators; governance, community resources, risk reduction, housing rebuilding funding (funding and speed of funding), and time compression (built environment and periods of recovery time). Public and private insurance schemes for both case studies are identified and are considered together with analysis of insurance claims and other sources of financial support. The findings and results show that recovery is the result of highly interdependent Build Back Better processes. The data suggests that insurance and governance systems greatly influences the onset and overall speed of recovery (time compression), thereby performing a major role in long-term recovery. This research provides an original contribution to disaster recovery knowledge by analyzing insurance claims from two well-documented natural disasters. Additionally, the paper proposes for the singular definition of community housing resilience.

Home Use and Experience during COVID-19 in London: Problems of Housing Quality and Design

COVID-19 lockdowns led to a reassessment of housing conditions and created greater awareness of their impact on wellbeing and inequalities. Changes in home use and lived experience during the pandemic were studied through a survey of London residents (n = 1250) in 2021, focusing on issues of housing design, perceptions of housing quality, and future housing expectations. The survey found that a quarter of all dwellings and at least one room in a third of homes were deemed too small and failing to meet the needs of occupants. Renters with a shortage of space and poorly maintained or designed homes suffered most. A total of 37.9% of respondents reported that their wellbeing was affected by housing conditions. While for well-designed homes aspects of dwelling size were considered the highest priority, dwelling layout, usability, adaptability, and flexibility were equally key concerns. However, how problems of housing design, quality, and size are understood often depends on highly individual experiences and expectations. By highlighting the importance of lived experience, the pandemic shows the limitations of current, normative design standards. Future space standards need greater flexibility in the distribution of floor areas and should consider a wider range of home uses to ensure more equitable and long-term housing provision.

Appraisal of the housing delivery mandate of selected government agencies in Nigeria

In spite the concerted efforts made by housing stakeholders in formulating and implementing the 2012 National Housing Policy to bridge the gap between housing demand and supply, the housing situation remains in crisis and hampering on existing policies, sustainable housing delivery with consequent socio-economic, environmental, and political implications. These challenges call for an appraisal of the 2012 National housing policy towards identifying effective mechanism for the policy’s implementation. This paper assessed the roles of the housing policy’s implementing agencies (Federal Housing Authority and Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria), identify the challenges faced by the agencies and provide strategies for effective implementation of the National housing policy in Nigeria. In conducting this study, a mixed methods approach was adopted. The study identified the roles played by the designated agencies towards ensuring effective implementation of the National housing policy to include facilitating the development and management of real estate across all states, provision of sites and services for all income groups. Some of the major challenges found to be affecting the provision of adequate housing include increasing cost of procuring land and building materials, poorly developed mortgage finance system and high interest rates on mortgages and cumbersome building plans approvals processes. Though the agencies made concerted efforts in living up to their responsibilities, the efforts are not enough as housing deficit continues to increase. It is therefore suggested that all the tiers of government should ensure the provision of adequate infrastructure and appropriate land titles for both implementing agencies and private firms, create enabling environment for private sector participation in long-term housing finance and encourage the use of indigenous and alternative building materials to reduce construction cost.

Analysis on State of Mortgage Lending for 2016-2020 in the Republic of Kazakhstan

It is significant to resolve important socio-economic tasks such as increasing the availability of housing for the population, increasing the share of housing owners in order to stabilize society. To provide solutions, there is a necessity to form a market housing financing system that meets the competitive demand of the population for housing. The main directions of worldwide recognized long-term financing of housing construction are mortgage lending and the system of construction savings. Therefore, for Kazakhstan, the effective formation of the mortgage lending system is one of the priorities of housing policy. At the current stage of Kazakhstan's development, the mortgage lending system is the most important direction for the development of long-term housing financing. International experience depicts that the development of mortgage lending brings maximum benefits for the state and the country's economy as a whole. This is explained, first of all, by the fact that it affects problems of a housing nature and is quite significant on the part of the social policy of the state. Taking into account the multilateral socio-economic effect of the development of the mortgage lending system, this problem is presented as particularly relevant for Kazakhstan.
 Moreover, it is essential to study the current results of the system over the past years and determine the level of development of the mortgage lending system in modern conditions to provide an analysis of the current state of mortgage lending in the country. The analysis of statistical data on the indicators of mortgage lending is carried out. The study encompasses the main issues related to the current state of mortgage lending in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Impact of the Domestic Violence Housing First Model on Survivors’ Safety and Housing Stability: Six Month Findings

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a leading cause of homelessness, yet little evidence exists about effective strategies to assist IPV survivors as they work to avoid homelessness while freeing themselves from abuse. An ongoing demonstration evaluation is examining if and how one promising model assists IPV survivors in obtaining safe and stable housing over time. The Domestic Violence Housing First (DVHF) model involves providing IPV survivors with mobile advocacy and/or flexible funding, depending on individual needs, in order to attain these goals. We hypothesized that those receiving DVHF would experience greater housing stability and less re-abuse compared to survivors receiving services as usual. The current study evaluated the short-term efficacy of the DVHF model with a sample of 345 homeless or unstably housed survivors who sought services and who completed in-person interviews shortly after contacting the DV agency, as well as six months later. Those who received the DVHF model showed greater improvement in their housing stability compared to those receiving services as usual, as well as decreased economic abuse. Both groups experienced a sharp decline in all forms of abuse. The Domestic Violence Housing First model shows promise in helping unstably housed DV survivors achieve safe and stable housing. Study findings have implications for DV agencies as well as those funding such services. Understanding which interventions work best for which survivors is critical to ensuring that service providers are effectively working toward long-term housing stability and well-being for IPV survivors and their children.