Social change in outer city British public housing

This paper offers a detailed examination of the evolution of social patterns within a representative outer council estate in Birmingham, England during 1971–1981. The findings disclose several important changes including a growing association of flatted accommodation with smaller childless households and increasing social deprivation on the whole estate.     

Estimation of elderly housing demand in an Asian city: Methodological issues and policy implications

Projection of elderly housing demands and needs has always been complex because of the volatility and heterogeneity of the factors involved. This paper argues that in a society where the tradition of elderly parents co-habiting with the children's family is breaking up, the projection of elderly housing demands for planning and policy purposes may not be scientifically possible. This owes to the impossibility to gauge housing affordability of the elderly by conventional indicators and the lack of information on the market behaviour of the elderly alone. This paper suggests the analysis of pre-retirement income, housing arrangements and housing aspiration to help elderly housing service providers to make more informed decisions. However, the projection of housing needs is more plausible if the underlying demographic projection models take care of major demographic trends such as household sizes and types, and if surveys are carried out to gauge housing aspirations of contemporary elderly persons. By using the above methods, the paper projected the future elderly housing needs and demands of Hong Kong, and found that public rental housing was perceived as the most secure type of housing regardless of affordability. This preference may reflect anomalies in elderly policies, particularly the lack of housing choices to suit the varied needs and affordability.     

Subsidized elderly housing: public-private partnerships on the brink

Starting in the early 1960s, the federal government joined with the private-sector housing developers in a partnership: in return for subsidized mortgages and tax benefits, developers would rent to low- and moderate-income tenants. Today, many elderly people live in these "publicly subsidized" units. The initial agreement, however, held out an escape clause: after 15 to 20 years, for-profit developers that wanted to end the partnership could prepay their mortgages, leaving tenants in those buildings "at risk" of rent increases and/or evictions. This article discusses that partnership, its options for dissolution, and the current solutions to the problem of the expiring agreements, including a moratorium, vouchers, and incentives. The compromise legislation responds to all interested parties--owners, current and would-be tenants, local governments, tax-payers--through a multi-stage sequence of dissolution, yet such a finely tuned, acutely sensitive legislative solution may not work easily or efficiently.     

Territorial behavior and fear of crime in the elderly

Observations were made of the visible territorial markers of elderly homeowners. Attitudinal measures of their fear of crime indicated that high-territorial elderly were less fearful of being victimized than were low-territorial elderly. Strong sex differences in the amount of fear were also found, as were interactions of territoriality with the sex and with the living arrangement (alone or not alone) of the homeowner. The results are discussed in the context of the mastery of the environment by the elderly.     

Local perspectives on rural housing affordability and implications for the localism agenda in England

Drawing on consultation meetings with eight community groups across rural England, this paper examines local perspectives on housing affordability, and the consequences of low levels of ‘within area’ housing access for rural economies and communities, contrasting the reflective understanding of residents with normative and established perspectives on the same issues. Because it now seems likely that rural planning policy in England will, in some measure, be reconstructed from the bottom-up, prioritising local control, an analysis of residents' perspectives gives some insight into the shape of future policy intervention. The research reveals a highly nuanced understanding of affordability and the development needs of villages. Sometimes local views – particularly those of commuting or retired households – are dismissed as being motivated by NIMBYism. But this is a partial truth, with rural residents displaying reflective dissatisfaction with official perspectives on rural housing problems.     

Acessibility in collective housing for the elderly: a case study in Portugal

Physical spaces need to be adjusted to suit the changes of a physical, cognitive and emotional order occasioned by the natural aging of people. Ergonomics of the built environment contributes to improving the interaction of the user and physical environment, with a view to their comfort and safety. By thinking through the influence that environments have on the quality of life of the elderly, this article presents an assessment of accessibility in private units--bedrooms and bathrooms--of a Long-Stay Institution for the Elderly (ILPI in Portuguese) in Portugal. The analysis of the physical and spatial conditioning factors by means of the Ergonomics Methodology for the Built Environment (EMBE), proposed by VILLAROUCO (2008), gave evidence of the need for interventions to suitably adapt physical infrastructure, with the objective of promoting the physical well-being of the elderly, and thus, enhancing the autonomy and independence of a wider range of users.     

The mixed-population issue in state-subsidized elderly housing: management problems posed by nonelderly and elderly tenants.

The management experiences of all Local Housing Authorities (LHAs) in Connecticut were investigated concerning younger disabled tenants in state-subsidized elderly housing. While as a group younger disabled tenants were more likely to violate the terms of their lease, including disrupting other tenants' enjoyment of their homes, management problems with younger disabled tenants were not reported by all LHAs. In general, serious, recurrent problems involving younger disabled tenants were concentrated among a relatively small group of LHAs. Emphasizing the diversity that characterizes the experiences of LHAs, the discussion emphasizes the need for caution in drawing conclusions about the issue of a mixed population. It also focuses on examples of how some LHAs have addressed the integration of younger disabled tenants in senior housing and proposes recommendations for viewing the issue in the broader context of public policy.     

Unanswered questions and new directions in research on elderly migration: economic and demographic perspectives

The availability of data from the 1990 Census and the Retirement and Health Survey will afford researchers an unparalleled opportunity to study elderly migration from several perspectives. This article focuses on economic and demographic issues. Census data will continue to serve the role of providing small area data on flows and will permit further disaggregation of behavioral differences according to age, marital status, and household relationship. They will also permit disaggregation according to the economic status of individuals and their households which, coupled with aggregate data on places of origin and destination, will facilitate comparison between such areas. The RHS data will go a long way to investigate questions thought to lie at the heart of migration behavior of older persons, but which have been difficult or impossible to study. Central to such questions will be the availability of a migration history, which will permit research on the interaction of migration behavior with critical life-course events such as retirement and the loss of a spouse.     

The problem of reconciling divergent perspectives on urban crime: Personal experience,social ideology and scholarly research

The author examines influences of his personal experience with crime, his ideology, and his theoretical knowledge on his approach to the study of crime. Personal experience led to observations that (a) responses to crime are often gut-level rather than rational, (b) both street crime and the criminal justice system are characterized by incompetence, and (c) the retributive impulse must be considered in the study of crime. The radical ideology of the author led to the conclusion that crime is linked with the structure of the economic system. Finally, the author's scholarly knowledge led to recognition of the importance of the causality/meaning and determinism/voluntarism debates for the study of crime and for policy planning. He concludes that one must recognize the importance of all three sources of one's understanding of crime in order to engage in criminological research.

相似文献   

Migration and refugees in Europe: Greek and British perspectives on implications for social work practice and education

One of the most significant aspects of changing social conditions is the increase in the number of people seeking to migrate relative to greater national and international restrictions on such movement. Within the framework of the European Union only some types of mobility are encouraged, and apart from EU policies, member states have different legislation and practices aimed, generally, at discouraging immigration, including of refugees. Their position, as marginalized or, literally, excluded people presents serious challenges to workers in the social professions. Recent military action in the Balkans threw into sharp relief the varied perceptions of the conflict, a range of attitudes to migrants and refugees and different social welfare responses within and between countries. This article therefore reviews some of the contextual factors surrounding asylum seekers, reports on welfare responses in Britain and Greece, and considers what the implications might be for qualifying and advanced training of European social professionals. Einer der bedeutsamsten Aspekte der sich gegenwärtig verändernden gesellschaftlichen Bedingungen besteht im Verhältnis von einer wachsenden Anzahl von migrationswilligen Menschen und den immer restriktiver werdenen nationalen und internationalen Regulierungen dieser Bewegungen. Im Rahmen der Europäischen Union werden nur einige wenige Formen von Mobilität gefördert, und jenseits der Politik der EU finden sich in den einzelnen Mitgliedsstaaten ganz unterschiedliche Gesetze und Verfahren, die allgemein gesprochen allesamt darauf ausgerichtet sind, Immigration - einschließlich die von Flüchtlingen - zu verhindern. Deren gesellschatliche Position als marginalisierte, oder im Wortsinne exkludierte Menschen stellt für die Angehörigen sozialer Professionen eine ernsthafte Herausfoderung dar. Vor dem Hintergrund der militäischen Auseinandersetzungen auf dem Balkan sind die unterschiedlichen Wahrnehmungen bezüglich des Konfliktes, die Unterschiedlichkeit der Einstellungen gegenüber Migranten und Flüchtlingen sowie die verschiedenen sozialpolitischen Reaktionen in und zwischen den Staaten deutlich hervorgetreten. Aus diesem Grund befaßt sich dieser Artikel mit einigen Kontextfaktoren, die Asylsuchende betreffen, berichtet über die sozialpolitischen Reaktionen in Großbritannien und Griechenland und fragt nach den möglichen Implikationen für die Aus- und Fortbildung in den sozialen Professionen in Europa. Uno de los aspectos más importantes del actual cambio en las condiciones sociales es al aumento en el número de personas que buscan migtar y las mayores restricciones a ese movimiento tanto a nivel nacional como internacional. Por ejemplo, en el marco de la Unión Europea sólo se fomentan ciertos tipos de movilidad mientras que, fuera de las politicas de la UE, los estados miembros tienen diferentes leyes dirigidas, generalmente, a desincentivar la inmigración, incluyendo a los refugiados. La situación de estas personas, como marginados o, literalmente, excluidos presenta un serio desafio a los trabajadores de profesiones sociales. La reciente acción militar en los Balcanes puso bruscamente de relieve las variadas percepciones del conflicto, un amplio rango de actitudes hacia inmigrantes y refugiados y diferentes respuestas de los servicios sociales dentro y entre los estados. Este articulo revisa algunos de los factores del contexto que rodea a los demandantes de asilo, hace referencia a las prespuestas ofreciadas por los servicios de bienestar en Gran Bretaña y Grecia y considera, por último, las implicaciones para una mejor cualificación de los profesionales sociales en Europa a tal efecto. Actuellement, un des apsects les plus significatifs des changements sociaux en cours est l'augmentation du nombre de personnes cherchant à immigrer, alors que les mouvements migratoires sont soumis à des restrictions nationales et internationales de plus en plus sévères. Dans le cadre de l'Union européenne, seuls certains types de mobilité sont encouragés, et à côté des politiques européennes, les états membres ont différentes législations et pratiques généralement destinées à décourager l'immigration, y compris celle des réfugiés. La position de ces derniers, en tant que personnes marginalisées ou carrément exclues, représente un défi sérieux pour les travilleurs sociaux. Les mouvements militaires qui ont eu lieu récemment dans les Balkans ont fortement mis en relief les perceptions variées qui existent du conflit, et tout un éventail d'attitudes envers les migrants et les réfugiés, ainsi que les réponses différentes proposées dans chaque pays et entre eux. Cet article passe donc en revue certains des facteurs contextuels entourant les demandeurs d'asile, décrit les solutions proposées en Grèce et en Grande Bretagne, et considère quelles pourraient en être les conséquences pour un enseignement qualifié des professionnels du domaine social en Europe.     

Changes in the association between social housing tenure and child outcomes across cohorts: comparing the millennium and British cohort studies

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, social housing in the UK has increasingly become the preserve of the poorest in society. This paper is the first to investigate how the child outcome penalties associated with social housing tenure have changed over time across UK cohorts. I compare the differences in the cognitive, mental health, and physical health outcomes of children in social housing with children in non-social housing and evaluate whether these tenure differences have changed between the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS) and the 2000 Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). I find that in both cohorts, children in social housing exhibit worse outcomes across all three dimensions (cognitive, mental health, and physical health) than children in non-social housing. For cognitive and physical health outcomes, however, the tenure difference has narrowed between the two cohorts, while for mental health outcomes, the tenure difference has widened. These results suggest that children have experienced a relative worsening in their mental health outcomes across cohorts, but also a relative improvement in both their cognitive and physical health outcomes. The findings suggest that policies aimed at reducing tenure inequalities in child outcomes should focus on mental health development in the early years.     

Occupation and housing adjustment of migrants to Surabaya,Indonesia: the case of a second city

The adjustment of migrants to Surabaya, Indonesia was examined with respect to occupation and housing characteristics. The data are based on information obtained in interviews from a multistage random sample of 600 residents of Surabaya between the ages of 20-44. Both females and males were interviewed and information on occupation was also collected for the spouses of respondents. In the analysis, 3 comparison groups were used: migrants to the city within the 5 years previous to the survey; migrants who moved in 1969 or before; and lifetime residents of Surabaya who were either born there or moved before the age of 15. The analysis used 2 methods to determine the extent and nature of adjustment. In the first, migrants of short and long durations of residence were compared to determine if change on the aggregate level has taken place and to indicate the direction of change. A control group of lifetime residents was used to determine whether the migrants are coming to resemble the characteristics of the native urban population. The 2nd, and equally serious problem, involves outmigration, in which migrants selective of certain characteristics leave the city either to return to the rural area or to move to another city. Initial comparisons between recent migrants, longterm migrants, and lifetime residents revealed no significant differences for either employment status or occupational skill. By occupational skill, approximately 35% had unskilled occupations, 27% semiskilled occupations, and 37% skilled occupations, with no significant difference by migrant status group. Overall, the distributions showed this sample to have significant concentrations in traditional, labor intensive employment, with a large percentage self employed. Controlling occupational skill for education showed somewhat different results. Those with primary school or less did not show a significant difference by migrant status, while among those with more education there was a significant difference. The longterm migrants wree overwhelmingly employed in skilled occupations. Initial analysis showed no significant difference in housing quality for each of the 3 migrant status groups. Recent migrants to the city were having no more difficulty in finding housing than changing migrants and lifetime natives. Housing conditions appeared to improve with duration of residence in the city, either through residential mobility or through improvements to the dwelling. That housing showed improvement with time, while occupation did not, may be because of the nature of each of the markets.     

Education in Gerontological Social Work: Application of the Task-Centered Model

There is an increasing need both for effective interventions with the elderly and for social workers trained in clinical gerontology. This paper discusses an attempt to integrate gerontological knowledge, clinical knowledge, and clinical experience in a master's-level curriculum and to develop the task-centered model as an effective base for social work with the elderly.     

Implications of welfare reform on the elderly: a case study of provider, advocate, and consumer perspectives

Whereas many studies of welfare reform have focused on effects on children and families, little research has examined the implications of welfare reform for the elderly. This case study incorporates interviews with service providers for the aging, members of advocacy organizations, and two focus groups of older consumers conducted in the multi-ethnic urban community of San Francisco. Study findings suggest that welfare reform has had both direct and indirect effects on the elderly and their services in the study community. Direct effects derive primarily from changes in the welfare reform legislation that had the effect of undermining both immigrants' eligibility for and claiming of public assistance benefits. Indirect effects on older persons include increased child-care demands upon grandparents. The case study data bear on a significant policy change within the broader trend of devolution at a historical point when anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States was running high.     

对中低收入家庭住房问题的基本认识与解决设想--以天津为例

改革开放以来,党中央和各级政府对解决中低收入家庭住房问题一直都非常关注,制定实施了一系列相关优惠政策,最大限度地维护中低收入家庭的住房利益.天津市在经历了多年的住房制度改革后,已初步建立起新的住房供应体制,即高收入者购买商品房,中低收入者购买经济适用房或是合作建房,最低收入者则可申请廉租房.城镇居民的人均住房使用面积从1978年的7.2平方米增加到2001年的15.9平方米;住房成套率也从1995年的74.3%上升到2001年的91.4%.但从"居者有其屋"的意义而言,城市中低收入家庭住房问题并没有完全解决,在市场经济制度初步建立之后,如何建立面向中低收入家庭主流市场的住房供应体制,还面临诸多理论认识和实际操作的问题.     

Watching the detectives: crime programming, fear of crime, and attitudes about the criminal justice system

Research demonstrates a complex relationship between television viewing and fear of crime. Social critics assert that media depictions perpetuate the dominant cultural ideology about crime and criminal justice. This article examines whether program type differentially affects fear of crime and perceptions of the crime rate. Next, it tests whether such programming differentially affects viewers' attitudes about the criminal justice system, and if these relationships are mediated by fear. Results indicated that fear mediated the relationship between viewing nonfictional shows and lack of support for the justice system. Viewing crime dramas predicted support for the death penalty, but this relationship was not mediated by fear. News viewership was unrelated to either fear or attitudes. The results support the idea that program type matters when it comes to understanding people's fear of crime and their attitudes about criminal justice.     

The effect of age desegregation on environmental quality for elderly living in public/publicly subsidized housing

A random sample of elderly living in age-desegregated public housing for the elderly is compared with a random sample of elderly living in age-homogeneous Section 202 housing in the same urban area. Findings suggest that the current trend of mixing young handicapped persons with elderly tenants is associated with a decline in environmental quality on three dimensions--social networks, territoriality, and global measures of satisfaction. The differences are not explained away by pre-existing factors, such as social and economic resources and service provision.