News from the Housing and Communities Research Network at the University of Birmingham

Upcoming seminars at University of Birmingham

The Housing and Communities Research network are hosting the following free seminars:

• Localism and Housing - 2 current research perspectives on Tuesday 7th May 2013 (4.15 - 5.45). Richard Lang, Plowden Research Fellow will present on ‘Bringing real localism into practice through co-operative housing governance’ and David Mullins will present on ‘Putting the Social Back into Housing - Learning from Localism’.
• Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour - Reflecting on research for Peabody on Thursday 4th July 2013 (4.15 - 5.45). Chris Allen, Ozlem Young and Kath Farrow will discuss the findings of recent research into Anti-Social Behaviour for the social housing provider Peabody.

For more information on either seminar visit the web page for the research group Homes and Communities research network

Recent research from the Homes and Communities Research Network

A new paper from David Mullins and Tom Moore (University of St Andrews) on ‘Scaling up or going viral? Comparing self-help housing and community land trust facilitation'. For further information and to download the paper go to Scaling up or going viral

A Visiting Fellow from Japan, Yoshinobu Kikuchi will visit the University of Birmingham for six months from June 2013 to work with David Mullins on the Empty Homes projects in England. For further go to TSRC Visiting Fellow

Dr Richard Lang from WU Vienna University of Economics and Business in Austria joins the Third Sector Research Centre and Housing and Communities Group for three months from April 2013 to undertake research on 'Bringing real localism into practice through co-operative housing governance. For further details go to 2013 William Plowden Fellowship

Evaluation of Intensive Family Support Projects

Researchers from Sheffield Hallam University have just completed a study examining the longer term outcomes associated with the provision of intensive support for families at risk of eviction as a result of anti-social behaviour. The study formed part of a three year evaluation involving over 256 families who had been referred to 6 Intensive Family Support Projects (IFSP) after their behaviour or that of their visitors had resulted in them being threatened with eviction and homelessness. The interim research report published in Oct 2006 (Anti-social Behaviour Intensive Family Support Projects: An evaluation of six pioneering projects (Housing Research Summary 230) found that in the short term Intensive Family Support Projects were a cost effective way to reduce problem behaviour, prevent family breakdown and avoid homelessness for the families involved. This final piece of work confirms that in the longer term families were able to sustain the progress they had made once they were living independently in the community. In seven out of ten families positive change had been sustained and family members enjoyed an increased sense of social inclusion and well being. A small minority of families (8/28) however, continued to experience considerable difficulties and for these families, their lives remained dominated by complaints about antisocial behaviour, managing ongoing support needs, homelessness, risk of eviction and/or family breakdown. The full report can be downloaded here.

For further information contact Judy Nixon on 0114 2254268 or Sadie Parr on 0114 2254525