Farzaneh Janakipour
Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Property, Urban planning and Urban management
Biography
PhD candidate focused on examining the well-being of social housing tenants in Australia.
Thesis
Measuring the Well-being of Households Living in Social Housing in Australia
Over the centuries, the pursuit of equality and well-being has been a central concern in societies and governmental actions and policies, with promoting equality playing a vital role in shaping individuals’ well-being and their life outcomes. Additionally, social housing, as a form of housing assistance, from its emergence to this very day, continuously plays a significant role in assisting the most vulnerable cohorts of Australian society as well. Despite this vital role, the outcomes of social housing for its residents' well-being remain overlooked. While housing research has often focused on affordability, physical quality, or policy efficiency, less attention has been given to understanding how social housing affects the broader well-being of its residents. Despite the increasing importance of taking into account well-being in housing policies, most current measurements are based on income-based or material deprivation indicators, which do not fully provide a comprehensive capture of households’ well-being according to their perceptions and freedoms to choose and ultimately achieve or even not achieve valued life results. Accordingly, this research seeks to measure the well-being of households living in social housing in Australia by evaluating social housing well-being dimensions. Therefore, a qualitatively driven mixed-methods approach has been adopted. It will begin with an in-depth literature review on social housing well-being. In the second stage, semi-structured expert interviews with scholars and providers in the fields of housing, economics, geography, and health have been considered, followed by focus group discussions among social housing residents to identify relevant well-being functionings of social housing, and ultimately, surveys with social housing residents. The exploratory phases will inform the design of surveys with social housing residents. The expected findings are a nuanced understanding of how social housing contributes to or constrains well-being among social housing households, as well as the identification of key challenges they face in achieving valued functionings. By operationalising the Capability Approach, the study anticipates generating both theoretical and practical contributions. This research is significant because it provides a new framework for measuring well-being outcomes in social housing, offers policy-relevant insights into how housing can support households’ capabilities, and contributes to broader debates on social justice, housing policy, and well-being measurement in Australia.
Contact
- Email f.janakipour@student.unimelb.edu.au
- ORCID Profile ORCID