Thursday 31 January 2013

HSA bursary recipients' papers published in Housing Studies


The HSA is delighted to announce that two recipients of its conference bursary scheme have recently had their papers published in the Housing Studies journal.

Martin Whiteford's paper, entitled 'New Labour, Street Homelessness and Social Exclusion: A Defaulted Promissory Note' has been published in issue 28(1):http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673037.2013.729264

Patricia Campbell's paper entitled 'Collateral Damage? Transforming Subprime Slum Dwellers into Homeowners' has also been published on the journal's IFirst advance system: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673037.2013.759543

The HSA bursary scheme provides financial assistance for housing scholars and practitioners to attend our annual conference. Recipients are encouraged to develop a paper for subsequent submission to a journal, with support from HSA Executive members. The bursaries are generously supported by the Housing Studies Charitable Trust.

Wednesday 30 January 2013

Academy of Social Sciences - Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee consultation

With the support and input of the HSA, the AcSS has recently made its response the to the Call for Evidence on the Government's new approach to consultations by the House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee. According to AcSS, the response from the HSA formed a really strong base to the consulation process. To access a copy of the response, please go to the HSA website

New ESRC project looking at Travel to School and Local Housing Markets - opportunity for 18 month post-doc position


Ed Ferrari (Department of Town and Regional Planning, University of Sheffield) has been successful in securing funding from the ESRC's Secondary Data Analysis Initiative for a study of the links between travel to school, local housing markets, and educational choice.  There is a well known tension between policies aimed at enhancing school choice and those aimed at reducing school travel distances and promoting healthy commuting choices.  The local housing market can both act as an important mediator of this tension and be shaped by education policy and choices.  This study will develop a set of spatial multi level models exploring these interactions and developing policy recommendations for local planners and education officials.  The study will use data from the National Pupil Database and the Land Registry as well as previous ESRC investments in the British Household Panel Survey, Understanding Society, and Digimap.  The 18 month study will commence in April 2013.  An opening for a 18 month post doctoral research associate, with a closing date on 7 February, is currently being advertised at www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs (ref UOS005862) and at jobs.ac.uk.  For more information, please contact Ed Ferrari at e.t.ferrari@sheffield.ac.uk.

Monday 28 January 2013

NHF / Ipsos Mori / CCHPR report - Impact of welfare reform on housing associations - 2012 baseline report

The NHF has recently published a report with Ipsos Mori and CCHPR which highlights the challenges being faced by the social housing sector brought about by welfare reform. To download a copy of the roport go to Welfare Reform impact assessment

News from the Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF)


One third of private renters are now families with children

The number of families living in the private rented sector has risen rapidly, according to research published today by the Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF). 

Who Lives in the Private Rented Sector? profiles the household characteristics and changing make-up of the private rented sector (PRS) and identifies the rapid growth of households with children.

As the PRS continues to grow, a better understanding of the households accommodated in the sector is vital if people’s housing needs are to be effectively met.  The report gives a useful summary of the households in the private rented sector, thus providing organisations with analysis to help inform their development decisions.
 
A copy of the report can be downloaded from Who lives in the Private Rented Sector?
 

Sunday 27 January 2013

HSA and ENHR to sign a Memorandum of Understanding

The HSA Executive Committee are pleased to announced that a Memorandum of Understanding between the HSA and ENHR will be signed at the 2013 ENHR conference in Tarragona. The Memorandum of Understanding aims to foster closer collaboration between our two organisations at a practical level, including the sharing of website links; reciprocal advertising of events; sharing good practice and knowledge as well as ensuring that we give a high profile to our respective members and beyond of the closer ties that are being developed.

For further details about ENHR and the conference in Tarragona please visit the ENHR website.



 

News from Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research

NEW OUTPUTS

The role of the planning system in delivering housing choice for older Londoners

This study was commissioned by the Greater London Authority to investigate the role of planning in meeting the housing needs of older Londoners. It is partly a ‘think piece’ to look specifically at the role of the planning system in helping to ensure that older Londoners have a choice of homes that they can afford and which meet their requirements for different sizes and types of dwellings in high quality environments. The study also includes original research on the scale of need for specialist housing at local level.

The findings of the study have been used to inform the Housing SPG and it is expected that the study will be of use to Boroughs in the development of polices related to older persons housing. The findings of the study will inform the further alterations to the London Plan with a view to strengthening policy on the delivery of older persons housing (further work may be required on older persons needs for other specialist services). In addition, the report will be of use to the Mayor’s Housing and Investment Teams, when updating the Housing Strategy and making funding decisions. To download the report  go to
CCHPR Publications


Mapping the number of extra housing units needed for young people

Centrepoint, the youth homeless charity, commissioned CCHPR to undertake this piece of work looking at the requirement for emergency homeless accommodation, supporting housing units, social housing and private rented housing with the use of Housing Benefit across England with a specific focus on the requirements for those aged 16-25.

To download the report go to CCHPR Publications


NEW PROJECTS

The role of the private rented sector in preventing homelessness: identifying good practice and the impact of policy change

The Oak Foundation has commissioned research that focuses on good practice that is demonstrated through Oak funded projects and looks more broadly at other successful practices and models. For further details go to CCHPR projects


Support in the preparation of a housing strategy for Jersey
The States of Jersey has commissioned CCHPR to provide support to its embryonic Strategic Housing unit in the preparation of an island wide, cross tenure Housing Strategy. The project comprises a series of papers for discussion with officers and the relevant Ministers between November 2012 and April 2013, leading to the production of a public Consulation Paper for circulation in May and a final Strategy Paper for debate in the States Assembly in June/July 2013. For further details go to CCHPR projects
 

 
 

HSA Conference - Early Careers Stream - The Valerie Karn prize

The Housing Studies Association is pleased to announce the introduction of the annual Valerie Karn prize for best paper by an early career housing academic. In 2013, the prize will be awarded to an outstanding paper submitted to the early career stream of the Housing Studies Association's annual conference. All papers submitted to the stream will be considered for the prize, although particular preference will be given to papers sharing Valerie's broad interests, including race and housing, housing standards and conditions, homelessness, housing management and governance and comparative housing research. The prize money will support the professional production and dissemination of the winning paper. It will be hosted on the HSA website as part of a new Valerie Karn paper series and disseminated through the HSA’s networks.

HSA 2013 conference - Conference registration and abstract submission deadline reminder

Conference registration

Registrations are now open for this year’s Housing Studies Association conference at the University of York, 10-12 April 2013, titled ‘Changing political, socioeconomic and institutional landscapes: What are the consequences for housing?Full details of the conference, including themes and confirmed speakers, can be found on the HSA conference website

Details of how to register for the 2013 conference are available from HSA 2013 conference registration Please note that the discounted early bird rate is valid until 28 February. Payment must be received by the date of the conference.


Abstract deadline

HSA members are reminded that the deadline for the submission of abstracts for the main conference and early careers stream is Friday,1st February 2013. Papers addressing the conference themes or dealing with any other aspect of housing policy, practice or theory are welcomed. Offers of papers (a title and 200 word abstract) should be emailed to Martin McNally and Sarah Johnsen

Abstracts for the Early Career stream (also 200 words max), should be sent to Gareth Young and Ben Pattison. Please note that the conference bursary application deadline is also 1 February. For details see the conference website


 



News from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Launch of anti-poverty Programme

JRF is exploring the relationship between housing and poverty to identify effective housing solutions for people living in poverty.  The web pages includes a blog provided by Kathleen Kelly, Policy and Research Manager at JRF. The blog gives a short outline and description of the programme. Go to http://www.jrf.org.uk/work/workarea/housing-and-poverty

The programme, which runs from 2013-2017, builds on what JRF has learned from their work on housing for young people; tackling housing market volatility and housing and migration and other programmes about housing and communities.

Evidence reviews

A number of evidence reviews are also being commissioned to inform JRF's  anti-poverty strategy.  The most relevant to HSA members is likely to be area regeneration and localisation the deadline for which is 6th February 2013.

IHURER News January 2013

IHURER are pleased to announce that its new blog has just gone live – go to http://ihurerblog.wordpress.com/The first entry, by Prof Glen Bramley considers the purpose of IHURER as an interdisciplinary research institute, with a focus on the way it combines expertise on economic and social research.

IHURER is delighted to welcome Beth Watts, from the University of York, who joins the institute as Research Associate in January 2013. Beth will work primarily with Prof Suzanne Fitzpatrick and Dr Sarah Johnsen on a range of projects about homelessness and related issues.

The summary report of The Homelessness Monitor looking at Great Britain as a whole was published in December 2012, followed by individual reports on England and Scotland. Reports on Wales and Northern Ireland will follow in 2013. The Homelessness Monitor is a major five-year independent study into the impact of the economic downturn and policy developments on homelessness across the UK. This is the second year of the study to be published by homelessness charity Crisis and undertaken by IHURER Professors Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Glen Bramley and Hal Pawson, together with the University of York's Professor Steve Wilcox. The reports published to date can be downloaded from www.crisis.org.uk.

Heriot-Watt has been chosen to host the 2014 ENHR conference in Edinburgh in collaboration with Glasgow, St Andrews, Stirling and the Chartered Institute for Housing (Scotland).