The Transtheoretical Model

ABSTRACT

This article examined the application of the Transtheoretical model of behavioral change to the welfare to work transition with public housing residents. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered and analyzed to demonstrate that the welfare to work process may indeed be considered a change process. These findings have implications for social policy development and public worker training in both the public housing and publicwelfare systems.     

Senior Housing in Sweden—A Question of Class Differences and Collective Aging

Abstract

Private senior housing in Sweden has become an alternative to accommodation for elderly in the public welfare system. In the study presented here, the aim was to elucidate this senior housing from the perspective of the residents. The questions that were asked were: (1) Why have the residents chosen senior housing? (2) What are the differences between residents in rental apartments and tenant-owned housing cooperatives? (3) What advantages and disadvantages do the residents think that senior housing has? The interviews showed that: (1) The seniors have chosen the housing for reasons other than its being senior housing; (2) the residents in rental apartments come from the working class and socialize in collective forms, while the residents in cooperatives come from the middle class and socialize through individual initiatives; and (3) the advantages they experience in senior housing are that it involves activities and community. The disadvantages derive from the architectural planning. When the building has a communal yard or entrance, integrity can be threatened and the sense of collective aging can be a Strain.     

Surrounding Community Residents’ Expectations of HOPE VI for Their Community,Health and Physical Activity

ABSTRACT

Using a community-engaged participatory research approach, this study identified surrounding community residents’ expectations for how a HOPE VI (Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere) housing initiative might affect their community and individual health and physical activity. Fifty-nine women and men engaged in concept mapping, which is a mixed-methods approach, where participants generate, sort, and rate ideas. Participants generated 197 unique statements. Thirteen thematic clusters related to expected changes for the community, health, and physical activity emerged. Residents’ rated increased pride in the neighborhood and increased safety as the most important factors related to HOPE VI, whereas drawbacks of HOPE VI was rated as least important. This research provides insight into the potential impacts of housing initiatives from the perspective of those most affected by such initiatives. The findings also highlight environmental changes as potential mechanisms that may improve residents’ perceptions of the community and encourage healthy lifestyles.     

Community distress predicting welfare exits: The under-examined factor for families in the united states

Using a quasi-experimental design, a sample of female welfare clients (N = 91) was followed over 32 months to compare two competing models used to describe welfare dependency. The individual deficit model suggested that clients would not engage in work activities on their own initiative and that legislative sanctions were required to force clients into employment. The ecological/community model suggested that community economic distress, rather than lack of skills or motivation, prevented clients from becoming gainfully employed. Results showed that while both models explained the rate at which clients left the welfare system, the community that one lived in was a stronger predictor of welfare exits than government programs mandating individual effort. Results revealed that many clients were employed regardless of whether or not it was mandated. Furthermore, clients who resided in lower income communities and were required to work to keep receiving welfare benefits under the new legislation, spent an average of nearly twice as much time in the welfare system (22.75 months) as individuals who faced neither stress (11.5 months). The findings highlight the need to incorporate community economic development strategies in the overall program to decrease welfare dependency, rather than focusing solely on individual remediation.     

Subsidized Housing and Household Hardship Among Low‐Income Single‐Mother Households

We investigate associations of housing assistance with housing and food‐related hardship among low‐income single‐mother households using data from the National Survey of America’s Families (N = 5,396). Results from instrumental variables models suggest that receipt of unit‐based assistance, such as traditional public housing, is associated with a large decrease in rent burden and modest decreases in difficulty paying rent or utilities and residential crowding. Receipt of tenant‐based assistance, such as housing vouchers or certificates, is associated with a modest increase in housing stability but also with modest increases in rent burden and difficulty paying rent or utilities. We find no associations between either type of housing assistance and food related hardship.     

Creating New Patterns of Social and Economic Activity Through Planned Housing Environments

Abstract

HOPE VI programs have transformed distressed public housing areas into “planned neighborhoods.” This research highlights key results from an evaluation request by the Tampa Housing Authority to assess the social and economic impact of the local HOPE VI community. Findings suggest that the majority of residents enjoy the new neighborhood. Questions remain regarding the social cohesion among the mixed-income community residents and the potential for economic revitalization of the surrounding area. Implications for social workers are addressed.     

Local Housing and Service Decisions

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to identify factors associated with local housing and service decisions that support aging adults in rural communities. These decisions represent de factostrategies that affect the quality of life of older residents and their ability to age in place. Data were collected from 951 informants in 134 Midwest rural communities. Analyses were undertaken to identify the role of community characteristics in predicting the availability of a group of housing options and support services. Findings support the notion that the community context is important to the delivery of key housing and service needs. Population size, proportion of community residents 65 years and older, and housing planning processes promoted gains in housing and services.     

Meeting Family Housing Needs: Experiences of Rural Women in the Midst of Welfare Reform

Though sometimes overlooked, the availability, affordability, and quality of housing in rural communities are a potential barrier to transitioning from welfare to work. In this investigation we examine housing issues confronting 17 rural women and their families who were recipients of welfare benefits in 1997. Respondents' housing accounts illustrate the significance of reliance on both government housing subsidies and informal subsidies supplied by friends, family, and more distant relatives. The study focuses on concerns women have in meeting their families shelter needs and the complexities involved in doing so. The findings of the research suggest that additional housing policy initiatives, as well as a targeted research agenda are needed, especially for families whose welfare benefits are nearing termination.     

Making the Transition from Welfare to Work: Employment Experiences of CalWORKs Participants in the San Francisco Bay Area

ABSTRACT

This study describes welfare-to-work participants in the San Francisco Bay Area, support services, experiences with the CalWORKs program, and predictors of employment status in the wake of welfare reform. Findings indicate that many are working and more Stayers and Recidivists than Leavers are using food stamps and Medi-Cal. Multivariate analysis reveals that race and financial supports were the significant factors contributing to employability, defined as the ability to secure employment despite the need to supplement earned income with welfare payments. To help people stay off of welfare, case management services are needed to help participants maintain employment and increase job skills. In addition to expanding our understanding of human behavior within the social environment of poverty, implications for practice and policy are identified.     

Functional Ability,Neighborhood Resources and Housing Satisfaction among Older Adults in the U.S.

The purpose of this study was to explore neighborhood resources that influence the housing satisfaction of older adults. The study included 10,146 participants from the 2009 panel of the American Housing Survey who were 65 years and older. Hierarchical regression modeling was performed to examine older adults’ perceptions of neighborhood resources and consequently the role these resources play in predicting housing satisfaction among community dwelling and residents of assisted living, controlling for age, sex, ethnicity, education, and housing maintenance. In addition, three levels of physical functioning among residents of assisted living were examined. Results showed that there were differences in housing satisfaction by residences and levels of physical functioning. Subjective evaluations of neighborhoods and the near surrounds were significant predictors of housing satisfaction. Results of the study suggest that policy makers and housing professionals need to continue to consider the role of supportive neighborhoods and social environments in promoting successful aging particularly for frail older adults.     

The Internet and Demystifying Power Differentials

Abstract

Over the course of the past three years, a group of women residents of a forty-five-year-old public housing project have struggled with the housing authority to participate in the revitalization of that project. This article examines the emergence of a “critical consciousness” and action on the part of these women as a consequence of their going on-line on the Internet with their own home page. This article also looks at the historical and social context of their relationship with the local community and the housing authority as well as the women's ultimate challenge to the housing authority's sense of “exclusive” possession and use of information and data.     

Social housing mediation: education path for social workers

ABSTRACT

Social mediation constitutes an alternative method to legal proceedings, providing effective support for the management and resolution of the most common types of conflicts between individuals, within families and among neighbours, as well as other types of disputes that can arise from interactions between people. Over the last 20 years, urban areas in Italy with high concentrations of public housing have gradually become zones of social disadvantage in which conflict is widespread, due to a number of different factors. On the local level, some municipalities have started promoting innovative initiatives, thanks in part to the sharing of successful practices, both nationally and internationally. This paper presents the methodology and results of an innovative intervention of social mediation in public housing contexts, carried out in a number of municipalities in the Marche Region with financing provided under two projects of the European Fund for the Integration of non-EU Immigrants. Particular attention is given to training courses for social workers, as well as to actions carried out in public housing neighbourhoods, together with the public housing tenants, in order to manage the various issues related to housing and to prevent and deal with conflicts by reinforcing relations between neighbours.     

Good Country Living? Exploring Four Housing Outcomes Among Poor Appalachians

In the wake of welfare reform, many poor people have exhausted their benefits and must now live with less government support. While all of these former welfare recipients are struggling, some are experiencing housing problems that are quite severe. This article uses survey data on former welfare recipients who have used up the maximum time limits for receiving welfare to better understand three core explanations for rural housing problems among the poor: community, individual, and family factors. We estimate models to weigh the relative effects of these factors on the likelihood of experiencing several housing outcomes, finding that rural location is the most consistent predictor of housing outcomes, predicting home ownership, and whether families reside in low‐quality housing. We also find that individual and family factors affect the type of housing one has. We conclude that housing policies must be tailored to improve specific housing outcomes.     

将廉租房与公租房并轨，创新租赁型保障房管理模式

目前,我国基本形成了以廉祖住房为基础、以公共租赁房为重点,包括适当发展经济适用房和限价商品房、加快各类棚户区改造在内的城镇住房保障体系。这种住房保障制度和体系存在诸多问题,如产品种类偏多、管理不善、退出机制缺失等。针对租赁型保障房,应创新运行管理模式,逐步将廉租房与公租房并轨,统一规划、统一建设、统一审核、统一管理,实行分级补贴、租补分离、明收明补,以完善租赁型保障房制度体系。     

Housing affordability among elderly female heads of household in nonmetropolitan areas

This study investigates the extent and nature of housing affordability for elderly nonmetropolitan female heads of household using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. The results indicate that over one-third of elderly nonmetropolitan female heads of household experience housing poverty and that those who rent, who have fair to poor health, and who are minorities are particularly vulnerable. Housing affordability, measured by the concept of housing poverty, identifies households struggling to meet basic needs while the conventional 25% of income for housing expenditures ratio identifies a larger population. The findings suggest the need for multifaceted public policies to address the problem of housing poverty. Her research interests include housing affordability, housing and community vitality, and decision making. She received her Ph.D. from Purdue University. Sooyoun Park is in the same department as a Project Assistant on a USDA-funded research project entitled “Housing Affordability in Rural Areas,” which is a joint project between Nebraska and Wisconsin. Her research interests focus on housing management behavior in relation to housing expenditure burden. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.     

Navigating the Concrete Jungle

Abstract

The multi-methodological study examines behavioral and educational outcomes of children and adolescents who live in public housing in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The children (N = 46) were from 14 different families and ranged in age from 1-10 (60.8%), followed by 11-18 (30.4%). Almost 60% were males. The female heads of household were interviewed repeatedly from July 1997-March 2000. Results indicated high levels of parental stress. Adolescents (12–17 years of age) had substantially higher levels of negative school and behavioral outcomes, including those who became adolescents during the course of the research. Ethnographic analysis indicated that stressful life events and violence, child supervision issues, parent-child conflicts, and family health situations were key contributors to negative outcomes. Positive outcomes may be associated with child involvement in organized neighborhood activities.     

上海居民人口结构变迁对住房供需模式的影响研究

通过分析上海在城市化进程中人口结构的变化特征和趋势及其对上海住房需求的变化和影响,对未来5年上海居民住房供需情况作出预测。同时,在对上海现行住房供需体系及运作模式进行评价的基础上,结合世界城市住房发展模式的经验借鉴与启示,从控制人口总量、分散居住人口、增加和优化保障房、激励空置房出租等角度,提出上海住房供需管理模式的创新思路和结构体系。     

Extra Care Housing in the UK: Can it be a Home for Life?

Extra care housing is believed to constitute a home for life, precluding the need for institutional accommodations, but currently there is little substantiating evidence. Longitudinal data show that 8.2% of extra care housing residents will move to institutional accommodations after 5 years. Matching analyses suggest that extra care housing residents aged 80 years and older are approximately half as likely to enter institutional care compared with older people in the community in receipt of domiciliary care, albeit with some caveats. Extra care housing may embody a home for life for the majority of residents, although a substantial minority is likely to require institutional care.