Social housing providers in Victoria operate in a policy environment that requires them to remain financially viable while meeting a duty of care to their tenants. When tenants struggle to meet the obligations of their housing, providers are often caught between these competing demands. On one hand,evicting tenants into hardship or homelessness contravenes the role of a social landlord. On the other, providers also have a duty of care to other tenants and to staff, which requires them to remain financially solvent, maintain the repair and upkeep of the properties, and respond to the sometimes challenging behaviours of tenants with high and complex needs, which can include threats, violence, and damage.Very little is known about the experiences of housing workers who are employed to manage these competing demands at the front line. In their role they must take responsibility for both evicting tenants and sustaining tenancies, facing expectations to both support and discipline tenants. What does this mean for how they experience their role? How do they conceptualise and navigate the process of evicting – or not evicting – their tenants?
In this session, Abigail Lewis presents the findings of her research with tenancy managers and leads a discussion about tenancy-sustainment-as-care in social housing.
Abigail Lewis is a PhD candidate in the Unison Housing Research Lab at RMIT University, researching tenancy management and care in social housing. She is also the Senior Policy & Advocacy Advisor at Vacro, a not-for-profit that supports people who are or have been incarcerated.
