The concept of need is central to any discussion of housing, and particularly to how it is allocated and who gets it. Hence determinations of need have been used to allocate social housing, but also to decide on what new housing should be built and where it should be located. The importance of need as an argument is that it is directly opposite to the idea of market provision, which is based on the ability to pay. Need is where social criteria dominate rather than individual choice and commercial considerations. The clear implication is that, when need is involved, it is not proper for a landlord to make a profit or to put their private gain above or even alongside the interests of tenants. Need, it is suggested, overrides commercial considerations. …show more content…
without taking into account the individual household’s ability to pay for the housing assigned to it. (pp. 55-6) This type of definition is sometimes referred to as geographical need, in that it seeks to identify the housing requirements for a particular population, say, within a local authority or municipality. But, of course, this definition could also be used to apply to a region or even a national population. There are a number of important elements to this type of need. First, Robinson points to the fact that housing need requires the establishment of a particular standard of housing provision. This may be defined in statute in terms of fitness and habitability or it might be stated in policy terms. Second, this definition of housing need excludes the ability to pay as a criterion. Housing need should be determined by objective conditions, such as household composition and the standard of the housing stock, and not according to income. The idea behind this is that all households should be able to gain access to housing of a certain standard and this applies regardless of …show more content…
This is a valid exercise, in that it may show the scale of a problem and allow a local housing organisation to make an informed bid for government funding. However, it does not cover the issue of need completely. We can see this when we consider the manner in which social housing is allocated. In order to do so, a population has to be disaggregated to allow for the allocation to be made. The landlord needs to be able to differentiate between rival applicants to determine who should be allocated a vacant dwelling. This, of course, could be done on the basis of ‘first come, first served’ or according to who agrees to pay the highest amount of rent. But if one is seeking to allocate to the most deserving or most vulnerable, the landlord has to be capable of differentiating between the needs of different households. Likewise, in means tested benefits systems there has to be some way of targeting the benefits for those who need them
The connection between poor living conditions, low income families, and inequality of varying groups go hand in hand when dealing with poverty as discussed in Evicted by Matthew Desmond. These issues are often swept under the rug for those not immersed in the situation and can even be unknown. There is gender inequality which can affect every aspect of life, including dwelling. There is also racial inequality which also renders the quality of life. Both themes have a deeper meaning and are connected at the source of poor education and job discrimination.
Britain is currently undergoing the biggest overhaul of the welfare system since its introduction. The welfare system was first established with the assurance that people less fortunate would be able to have a standard of living that would ensure equality. But the recent amendments brought into place by the current government’s legislations may see the biggest divide between rich and poor since the days of the work houses. How will claimants be affected and who will be affected the most is an issue that will be examined more closely. The current government believes that Britain has become a welfare dependant state and according to BBC news (2013) 2.49 million are currently unemployed; those who are unemployed will also have entitlement to housing benefit and council tax benefit. All claimants will be affected by what will be known as Universal Credits. Universal credits will combine all existing benefits in to one payment; the amount a household can claim in welfare will be capped, this new system could have a catastrophic impact on people’s lives. Furthermore the government does not believe that a person should have full housing benefit if the home in which they reside has extra bedrooms, so introduction of the Bedroom Tax was implemented April 2013. The National Housing Federation website has given a detailed description of who will be affected and the implications it may have on tenants. But already only three months in to the bedroom tax and it has been reported “more than fifty thousand people have fallen behind on their rent and face eviction” Independent (2013). This report is going to concentrate on the affects the aptly named Bedroom Tax is having on people’s ...
In the Late nineteenth century the population was growing at a rapid pace. The country had people flooding the biggest cities in the country such as New York City and Chicago. These populations were gaining more and more people every single year and the country has to do something to make places for these people to live. The government would go on to create urban housing programs. These programs were created to make homes for these people to live in. At the time it provided a place for people to live but as the populations grew it became a more cramped and rundown area because of the large populations in one place. These reforms eventually led to these areas becoming dangerous, they were rundown, and it created a hole that was difficult for people to get out of.
Overall, they argue that the goals of rent control can be reached if they are
Low-income households who cannot afford this large mark-up on rent can apply for housing benefit to make up the shortfall. Housing Benefit paid towards inflated rent prices to private landlords takes almost 95% of total UK housing spending, with only 5% of funds invested in house building (UN...
Housing Affordability in Australia has become the focus point for urban planners in recent years. In particular, South East Queensland (SEQ) has experienced significant pressure as the demand for property and affordable dwellings increases and population growth in the region continues. The issue has come to the forefront in discussions for local governments in the region and there is a real need to address the problem of housing affordability. The subject of affordability is complex and is contributed to by a number of factors including the impost created by Council processes, which is the scope of the HAF-T5 Project.
Homelessness is Australia is most commonly explained by a cultural definition (Chamberlain & MacKenzie 2008). By this definition, we find homelessness to be a living situation which does not meet the minimum standard of living amongst the community. This definition reflects on not only the adequacy of the dwelling, but also how secure tenancy is, and whether the tenant has control of their physical and social space (Mallett 2004).
Therefore, the supply of housing that is affordable and accessible to low income people should be increased. Plus assistance that allows people to reach adequate stability should be regarded as a good investment in a productive society, in order to attain our objective. First we could start by introducing more productive assistance programs that actually focus on helping those in need of housing assistance. These programs will analyze how long people are homeless, what are their needs, the causes of homelessness, and in all how many are currently without a home. Subsequently, the City of Austin would begin building affordable housing according to the amount necessary.
Affordable housing refers to housing units that are affordable by that section of society whose income is or below the median household income. For example, affordable housing should address the housing needs of lower or middle income households. And for sustainable communities, it is one that is economically, environmentally, and socially healthy and resilient.. According to the Western Australia Council of Social Services (WACOSS): "Social sustainability occurs when the formal and informal processes; systems; structures; and relationships actively support the capacity of current and future generations to create healthy and livable communities.” As we can tell, all affordable housing, sustainable community, and social sustainability are
Increase the distribution of funding by local governments for affordable housing, by developing different techniques to reap a max funding.
For those of us with warm roofs over our heads and groceries on the table the problem of affordable housing does not often surface. But for low-income families, where half the income can disappear simply trying to keep the family sheltered in an acceptable home, the problem is a daily one. President of the BRIDGE Housing Corporation Donald Terner and columnist Brad Terner argue that affordable housing is a problem that should involve everyone. From your local supermarket clerk to your child’s science teacher, the problem of affordable housing can affect us all.
Compare and contrast the ways in which housing inequalities are discussed from the perspectives of social policy and criminology, and economics (TMA 02)
Core-need as stated by Banting (1990) as people who are living in an overcrowded environment, no running water, or no flush toilets is at 32% of the population in Ontario. Within the Toronto area there are a number of rent geared to income and co-op housing to help alleviate some of the stress of the cost of rent. Rent geared to income and co-op housing aims to make sure that only 30% of the renter’s income goes towards housing and utilities. Public housing allows the occupier to spend less on rent, in hopes of helping those under the poverty line create a balanced life through a less impoverished
Redmond, D. (2001) Policy Review Social Housing in Ireland: Under New Management, Britain: Oxfordshire’, 1(2)
It then will describe what social housing is and the governance of social housing providers. The assignment will go on to describe the roles of the board and chair within housing associations. It will