Household change, residential mobility and the changing role of social housing :a multi-method study of the sector's role in the life course of exiting tenants

Abstract

In recent years there have been great changes in the demographic and socio-economic profiles of the sector's tenant stock. Associated with these trends are changes in attitudes, aspirations and demands. Moreover, in today's climate of social housing reduction, stigmatisation, residualisation and rise in low cost home ownership, there are questions as to what role social housing is and should be playing in people's lives. This thesis tackles this increasingly important issue within British society. Hitherto, the debate has been informed very largely by research on households entering and living in social housing. Therefore, the study reported in this thesis gives particular attention to the role that social housing has played in the lives of those who have left the sector. It places the answer within the wider context of demographic and social change and the resultant transforming nature of, and changing demands on, the social housing sector. By adopting a multi-method approach the wider macro-level effects are elucidated as catalysts for change in the way people view social housing's role during their life course. In this manner, the study works towards an understanding of the exit 'process' and not just the exit 'event'. The results indicate that, in general, households exiting social housing have seen their time within the sector as a transitional period not just within their housing career but within their lives, a chance to consolidate household finances and set the foundations for future plans. The work Rifther reveals the difficulties faced by social housing providers in adapting to changes in demand and in tenant profiles in a society where, for the vast majority, the ultimate aspiration is of home ownership.