Social Housing, Wellbeing and Welfare

“Given the breadth and quality of the book’s content, it should be a cornerstone of housing studies, sociology and social policy course reading lists. Anyone with an interest in the role of housing in supporting human flourishing and wellbeing would benefit from reading this book.” International Journal of Housing Policy

“The book is eloquently expressed and persuasively written, and the author’s understanding of the topic area is clear on every page. It will appeal primarily to scholars and policymakers working within housing research and policy, and social policy more broadly.” People, Place and Policy

“In context of the longstanding housing crisis and continued political failure to address it, Gregory’s book provides an excellent reappraisal of the meaning and purpose of housing, but also more social solutions.” Richard Ronald, University of Amsterdam

“This refreshing and original contribution to the housing literature introduces new data and perspectives about wellbeing that challenge and broaden established debates.” Alan Murie, University of Birmingham

James Gregory is a Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology, University of Birmingham.

1. Introduction: housing, wellbeing and welfare

PART I Meaning and purpose: discourses of social housing

2. Wellbeing: meaning and measurement

3. Discourses of dependency: social housing, welfare, and political debate

4. Counter-narratives: dependency, culture, and the myth of worklessness

PART II Social housing, wellbeing, and experiences of the home

5. Experiences of the home: place, identity, and security

6. Mental health, happiness, and satisfaction with life

PART III Rethinking the ‘social’ in social housing: common needs, shared identities

7. Social housing and welfare spheres

8. Rethinking the ‘social’ in social housing: common needs, shared identities