Moving into a Disadvantaged Tenure? Pathways into Social Housing
Abstract
Social housing provides an important alternative to private rental and owneroccupation for lowincome households. At the same time, concerns have been raised in the literature about some of the more problematic aspects of living in social housing, such as exposure to various forms of placebased (or tenurebased) disadvantage, including stigma. In this paper we present findings from a study of the housing pathways of sixty individuals in Australia who recently moved into a social housing tenancy. We examine how stigma has influenced their housing pathways, particularly their decision to apply for social housing. Yet, through analysis of their experiences of living in social housing after moving in, we argue that utilizing the concept of placebased disadvantage in this context is problematic when considering the overall positive outcomes for these households.References
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