SOC 2390 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Piggy Bank, Social Inequality, Housing First
4 Dec 2018
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SOC 2390: Lecture Notes: November 19th: Housing and Homelessness
St. George Wharf Tower (Vauxhall Tower), London’s tallest residential skyscraper
• Penthouse= 51 million euros; most units about 2 million euros
• Largely uninhabited—empty units, just a place where people invest
• Called a “giant piggy bank” for global rich
• Housing is now a key investment strategy for very rich
• Amidst affordability crisis in the city
• 184 of 210 units not registered to vote
Why does this matter?
• Increased property values displace lower income residents
• Where do those pushed out of the city go? How does this change work/life arrangements?
• Re-organizes social relationships; the building is only partially occupied—what happens to
neighborhoods?
• Are cities only for the super-rich? Evidence that this sort of empty unity housing speculation is
happening in Toronto & Vancouver
Housing and Social Inequality
• How do we develop a nuanced understanding of homelessness and housing insecurity? (social,
cultural, economic and political factors?
• What are the key debates?
• What are some solutions that have been developed by advocates?
The meaning of Home
• Housing is a physical space
• Housing is a symbolic space
• Bare minimum physical definition (UN): “adequate”: space, privacy, security, lighting,
ventilation/light, infrastructure, location
• A relative standard of adequate depending on nation/context
Assessing Housing Insecurity
• Do you spend more than 30% of your income on housing (recommended)?
• Do you spend more than half of your income on housing?
• What barriers are you experiencing trying to find/keep housing costs affordable?
Types of Homelessness
• Situational
➢ Uncontrollable circumstances
i.e., losing a job, abuse
• Episodic
➢ Recurring issues that puts a person at higher risk of housing insecurity at certain times
• Chronic
➢ Long term experiences on the street; cumulative effects of issues
❖ Often hidden, streets living only one small part
Definitional Dilemmas
• Broad
➢ Includes all types of homelessness and housing insecurity
➢ Everything from living rough, to those in shelters, to those in temporary circumstances,
to those at risk of being homeless
➢ A way to include and advocate for resources for the largest possible group
➢ Maximizes #’s/sense of problem
➢ Guidelines developed by Canadian Observatory on Homelessness
• Narrow
➢ Includes only those who are without housing or in emergency housing
➢ A much small population, but the most urgent one
➢ #’s harder to establish because it includes more focused understanding of issue and
potential solutions
Estimates?
• 235,000 homeless, with 35,000 on any given night
• Of that:
➢ 500 unsheltered;
➢ 180,000 staying in shelters,
➢ 50,000 in provisional shelter
• National shelter study:
➢ 403 emergency homeless shelters in Canada
• Number of users about the same between 2005-2009, but more people staying longer,
especially families
Reframing Homelessness as Housing Insecurity
• Housing insecurity refers to broad set of barriers to accessing housing and risk factors
• Identifies and includes those with precarious (unstable) housing to recognize how circumstances
can change quickly
• Tries to push the conversation away from quick fix approaches
More Shelter! More Shelters!
• The limits of immediate fixes homelessness
Opting out of the shelter system is a strategy for some homeless
• So, you can stay with your pet
• So, you don’t have to worry about where to keep belongings
• Because some shelters insist you be drug and alcohol free
• Because shelters can be places of intimidation and violence
Document Summary
Soc 2390: lecture notes: november 19th: housing and homelessness. St. george wharf tower (vauxhall tower), london"s tallest residential skyscraper. Evidence that this sort of empty unity housing speculation is happening in toronto & vancouver. The meaning of home: housing is a physical space, housing is a symbolic space, bare minimum physical definition (un): adequate : space, privacy, security, lighting, ventilation/light, infrastructure, location, a relative standard of adequate depending on nation/context. Uncontrollable circumstances i. e. , losing a job, abuse: episodic. Recurring issues that puts a person at higher risk of housing insecurity at certain times: chronic. Long term experiences on the street; cumulative effects of issues. Often hidden, streets living only one small part. Everything from living rough, to those in shelters, to those in temporary circumstances, Includes all types of homelessness and housing insecurity to those at risk of being homeless. A way to include and advocate for resources for the largest possible group.
