Opportunity or Loss? Health Impacts of Estate Renewal and the Relocation of Public Housing Residents

Abstract

Estate renewal programs can have positive and negative impacts on the health and wellbeing of public housing residents. We aimed to investigate the potential health impacts of relocating residents as part of the redevelopment of a public housing estate in South Western Sydney, New South Wales. In-depth interviews were undertaken with public housing residents as well as with informants from local health and housing authorities. We found that a range of current and potential health impacts were linked to individual residents’ responses to the processes of estate redevelopment and relocation, housing and neighbourhood quality, residents’ social networks and access to social and health care services. Improved housing quality and maintenance, a personalised approach to relocation and equitable access to services were identified to contribute to positive health outcomes.

危旧房屋改造项目可能对公共住房居民的健康和福祉造成正面或负面的影响。本文旨在研究搬迁对新南威尔士州悉尼西南部公共住房居民健康的潜在影响。我们对公共住房居民和当地健康及住房管理部门的人士进行了深度访谈，发现目前或将来有可能影响健康的一系列因素，与居民个人对旧房改造和搬迁的反应、住房及小区质量、居民的社会网络以及社会和医疗服务的可获得性相关联。较好的住房质量和住房维护、个性化搬迁和获得服务的平等有利于居民的健康。

Keywords:

• Public housing
• neighbourhood renewal
• tenant relocation
• health impacts

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the following members of the research team for their assistance in completing this project: Mrs. Sharon Peters, Dr. Vanessa Rose, Associate Professor Marilyn Wise, Ms. Glenda Buckley, Mr. David Lilley and Ms. Kylie Willis. We would also like to thank Dr. Jennifer Kent and Dr. Vanessa Rose for their comments on an earlier draft of this paper.

Funding

This work was completed while Belinda Crawford was an employee of the NSW Public Health Officer Training Program, funded by the NSW Ministry of Health. This study was supported by Population Health, South Western Sydney Local Health District (formally Sydney and South Western Sydney Local Health Districts).