Intervening in the cycle of poverty, poor housing and poor health: the role of housing providers in enhancing tenants' mental wellbeing.

Autor: Garnham L; Glasgow Centre for Population Health, Glasgow Centre for Population Health, Olympia Building, Bridgeton Cross, Glasgow, G40 2QH UK., Rolfe S; Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA UK., Anderson I; Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA UK., Seaman P; Glasgow Centre for Population Health, Glasgow Centre for Population Health, Olympia Building, Bridgeton Cross, Glasgow, G40 2QH UK., Godwin J; School of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow, G4 0BA UK., Donaldson C; Yunus Chair in Social Business and Health and Pro Vice-Chancellor Research, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, G4 0BA UK.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of housing and the built environment : HBE [J Hous Built Environ] 2022; Vol. 37 (1), pp. 1-21. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Jun 03.
DOI: 10.1007/s10901-021-09852-x
Abstrakt: Poverty, poor housing and poor health are complexly interconnected in a cycle that has proven resistant to intervention by housing providers or policy makers. Research often focuses on the impacts of the physical housing defects, particularly upon rates of (physical) illness and disease. There has been comparatively little research into the ways in which housing services can underpin the generation of positive health and, especially, wellbeing. Drawing on qualitative data from 75 tenants in the social and private rented sectors, this paper describes the findings of a research project that tracked tenants' experiences across their first year in a new tenancy in Greater Glasgow, Scotland. The project collected data on tenants' perceptions of housing and housing service quality, financial coping and health and wellbeing, which was analysed using the principles of Realist Evaluation to elucidate impacts and causal pathways. Being able to establish a sense of home was key to tenants' wellbeing. The home provided many tenants with a recuperative space in which to shelter from daily stressors and was a source of autonomy and social status. A sense of home was underpinned by aspects of the housing service, property quality and affordability which are potentially amenable to intervention by housing providers. These findings raise questions about the extent to which social housing providers and the private rental market in the UK are able to meet the needs of vulnerable tenants. They suggest that approaches to housing provision that go beyond providing a basic dwelling are needed to successfully intervene in the cycle of poverty, poor housing and poor health.
Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors have no conflicts of interest arising from this study.
(© The Author(s) 2021.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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