The Structural Neglect of Disabled Housing Association Tenants in England: Politics, Economics and Discourse

Abstract

In England, almost half of all housing association households have a disabled member who may need home adaptations to improve their health and well-being. Resources for funding adaptation work are, however, inadequate; responsibility is contested and government has repeatedly refused to give clear guidance. The problems have been exacerbated by the increasingly hybrid nature of a ‘sector’ too diverse for any single solution. The research on which this paper is based found that the topic was never on the agenda of the Housing Corporation at board level and that academics carrying out major reviews also failed to consider it. Using theories of agenda setting and models of power and discourse, the authors consider the findings as a case study. It illustrates how the unseen exercise of power in housing policy and housing research, through agendas that prioritise economic and political factors, excludes all other considerations, especially the needs of existing tenants.

Keywords::

• Housing associations
• hybridity
• agenda setting
• disabled tenants
• home adaptations
• tenant disempowerment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ There was some confusion with the figures in the English Housing Survey 2011–2012 Household Report. Section 6.5 says that

There have been some marked changes in the tenure distribution of vulnerable household groups since 2001. These changes were most pronounced for households containing a person with a disability: a third (33%) of these households lived in the social rented sector in 2001 falling to 13 per cent in 2011, Annex Tables 6.1 and 6.2.

This was incorrect and has been remedied in an erratum and on the Revision Log. It now reads:

There have been some changes in the tenure distribution of vulnerable household groups since 2001. A third (33 per cent) of households containing a person with a disability lived in the social rented sector in 2001 falling to 28 per cent in 2011, Annex Tables 6.1 and 6.2.

² We are indebted to Inside Housing for publishing a request for information, and to Matthew Gardiner, previously with the Housing Corporation and now Chief Executive of Trafford Housing Trust, for this information about how and when HAG for adaptations was first introduced.

³ Further details of HAG and SHG can be found in Malpass and Murie (1999 p. 178).

⁴ First introduced in 2000 setting targets for all social housing landlords to upgrade their stock to ensure adequate warmth, facilities and repair. But because accessibility was not included, you can be a tenant with no access to a toilet or bathing facilities in a home which will be classified as meeting all requirements.

Additional information

Funding

This paper is based on a series of projects carried out over the period 2007–2013 for a number of housing associations and local authorities. We would particularly like to thank Habinteg, Hanover and Servite (now Viridian) Housing Associations for providing the funding which initiated this work. However, it should be noted that the opinions expressed in this article are the authors own.