Download BeerHSA11 - Housing Studies Association

University Faculty or Divisional Name
Social Exclusion, Disability and
Housing in Australia:
Understanding the Connections
Andrew BEER, Selina TUALLY, Debbie
FAULKNER and Pauline MCLOUGHLIN
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide
Introduction
• Three key questions:
– What is the impact of disability on the lifetime
experience of housing in Australia?
– How does social inclusion or social exclusion
interact with housing and disability in Australia?
– What are the impacts of current policy
frameworks?
Housing and Disability in Australia
• Housing Transitions
• Outcomes for Households Affected by
Disability
Better housing outcomes
Typ
eof
disa
bility
Severity of disability
Reconceptualising Disability and Housing
Poorer housing outcomes
Source of disability
SOUTHERN RESEARCH CENTRE
Figure 1. Changed Life Histories and Changing Housing Careers
SOUTHERN RESEARCH CENTRE
SOUTHERN RESEARCH CENTRE
SOUTHERN RESEARCH CENTRE
SOUTHERN RESEARCH CENTRE
SOUTHERN RESEARCH CENTRE
SOUTHERN RESEARCH CENTRE
Social Inclusion and Housing
• Election of Rudd Labor Govt in 2007 resulted
in significant new commitments to housing,
disability and social inclusion
– Establishment of a national Social Inclusion Board
– Significant additional expenditure on disability
programs and income support
– New investment in, and forms of engagement
with, social housing – NAHA, NRAS and the AHF
Insights from Respondents:
Housing and Employment
• Few carers or persons with a disability work
– But Australia is a workfare state!
• High cost metropolitan housing markets result
in assignment to either non-metropolitan
regions or the metropolitan fringes
– Both result in reduced access to employment for
both carers and the disabled
• In turn further reduces income
– Households affected by a disability measurably
less active in the housing market since 2000
Insights from Respondents:
Social Housing and Rental Housing
• Social housing is a scarce resource
– Public housing is rare, private rental expensive
• Presence of a disability may provide expedited access
to subsidised public housing
• But public housing is frequently run down, in locations
remote from employment opportunities, and may be in
places with high levels of violence
“They have mixed in people with every problem and
disability in there. There is lots of drug and sexual
abuse”.
Insights from Respondents:
Psychiatric Disability
• Persons with a psychiatric disability complained about their
neighbours but stressed that some were good while one or
two could make life “like hell”.
– Others said that where they lived was like “the Bronx”– a public
housing estate with a mix of generally low income residents and
people with disabilities. Many fitted into both categories.
– The noise of conflicts a major challenge. As one said, “The flats
are so close and other people have nervous breakdowns”.
– Most of the participants who had a psychiatric disability were
currently living in Office of Housing accommodation or were
living in private rental housing which was located close to public
housing and problem neighbours. Most of these people live or
have lived in public housing for long periods of time.
•
Insights from Respondents: Private
Rental
• Private rental is expensive and insecure, with many
households affected by disability paying more than 60
per cent of income on rent
• "I’d be stuffed without public housing, there is no way in the
private rental market I could keep up my private health insurance
and without that I’d be back in the public mental health system
waiting [for referrals and appointments"
'I don't know how I’d survive in the private rental market, probably
wouldn't, no, I definitely couldn't!
• “it doesn’t matter what disability you have, the landlords and the
real estate agents treat you terribly”.
Insights from Respondents:
Appropriateness of Stock
• Many socially excluded by inappropriate, poor
quality of accommodation
– "the bonus of housing trust is that I have been
able to have modifications done to the house:
ramps, grab rails and magnets to hold the doors
open, this has improved my life and accessibility
heaps"
But...
– “you can wait a long time” and “everything is a
compromise”’
Insights from Respondents: Work,
Services and Community Engagement
• Housing available to persons with a disability is often remote
from employment and other services
– Eg in South Australia reasonably large stock of public housing in the
regional city of Murray Bridge. But local further education provider
mainly offers building courses not be sought by women, and those
with mobility or other physical disabilities
• Treatment from medical professionals is challenging in many
locations with affordable housing , and particularly a problem
for some people with mental health issues.
“the GPs just don't listen to me. They treat my like Im just
a piece of shit basically and its not fair...even if I need to
see them for something that isn't a mental health issue,
they tell me its all in my head and to go away and see my
psychiatrist"
• Consequently, she travels to Adelaide for services, at great
cost and a 6 week wait for a doctor anyway.
Conclusions: Disability, Social Inclusion
and Housing
• Disability interacts with housing to shape
social inclusion outcomes in Australia
• Positive effects:
– Better access to social housing
•
•
•
•
Affordable
A secure tenure
A more understanding landlord
Greater scope for modifications to dwellings
Conclusions: Disability, Social Inclusion
and Housing
• Adverse effects
– Many in the private rental sector pay more than high 60%
of household income for accommodation
– Often in poor quality housing
– Often in insecure housing
– Access to social housing may have perverse impacts
• Places disabled people in the most disadvantaged communities in
Australia
–
–
–
–
–
–
Low levels of social capital
Higher risks of physical assault
Reduced access to employment opportunities
Greater distance to services
Lower levels of access to public transport
Locale affects that may exacerbate their own disability
Conclusions: Disability, Social Inclusion
and Housing
• Rudd Government invested significant new funds
into disability sector in 2008-09
– Mainly income support and enhanced packages for
‘high needs’ persons
• The housing task remains incomplete
• Social inclusion also has disappeared as a priority
of government
• Specialist housing providers emerging, but small
relative to the problem
• Loss of carers remains a significant challenge