Moving Past Picket Fences: The Meaning of “Home” for Public Housing Residents

Abstract

The literature on the meaning of "home" has generally focused on creating lists without giving much attention to the context that shapes meanings. Recently, scholars have argued that to understand "home" it is important to know the range of meanings that different people in different contexts give it. In this article, we focus on the meaning of "home" for public housing residents and consider how they construct the meaning of "home" and if they find that meaning in public housing. Our findings suggest that respondents consider their public housing residences to be "home," and they construct this meaning using the dimensions of home identified in the literature. However, how respondents used these dimensions were, in some ways, different because of the context of living in public housing. Respondents emphasized the social dimension, and this dimension appeared to organize the other dimensions. As such, our findings support arguments that context matters to the meaning of "home." They also suggest that policymakers need to broaden their understandings of public housing, as places that can be "home," and use this understanding when making decisions about housing transformations.

Public housing tenants’ perspective on residential environment and positive well-being: An empowerment-based Photovoice study and its implications for social work

“…When describing the impact of their environment on their well-being, the peer-researchers reported an array of positive emotions, appropriate psychological functioning, and flourishing relationships within the community. In line with studies showing the emotional, psychological, and social meanings of the home environment (e.g., Manzo, 2014; Tester & Wingfield, 2013), our findings suggest that these dimensions are important when considering well-being outcomes. As the classic indicator of place-related quality of life (Wahl & Mollenkopf, 2003), residential satisfaction has been the focus of several studies on public housing (e.g., Lord & Rent, 1987; Mohit, Ibrahim, & Rashid, 2010).…”

“…In the field of positive psychology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), studies with economically disadvantaged communities have documented the possibility of experiencing positive well-being, such as feelings of satisfaction, meaning in life, and flourishing relationships, despite material hardship (Biswas-Diener & Diener, 2001, 2006; Linley, Bhaduri, Sharma, & Govindji, 2011). A few studies show that public housing tenants can develop a positive sense of belonging to their community (Manzo, 2014; Manzo, Kleit, & Couch, 2008; Sinha & Kasdan, 2013; Tester, Ruel, Anderson, Reitzes, & Oakley, 2011; Tester & Wingfield, 2013). However, to our knowledge, underlying aspects of positive well-being have never been thoroughly explored in a public housing context.…”

“It's Not Just a Bunch of Buildings”: Social Psychological Investment, Sense of Community, and Collective Efficacy in a Multiethnic Low–Income Neighborhood

“…In his analysis of the meaning of home, Annison (2000) finds that people see their homes as a reflection of their ideas and values, that home provides for feelings of achievement and self-expression, and that it is a refuge from the outside world, a place to own. Tester and Wingfield (2013) contend that in many ways, the common image of low-income housing does not match with the meaning of home; however, in their study, they show that public housing residents do create meaning and feelings of home through their day-to-day social interactions with family and others in their communities. A central way the residents of the neighborhood in the current study are able to make low-income housing feel like home is by expressing their values and feeling pride in their gardens.…”

Using neighborhood observation to support public housing tenants’ empowerment

“…Several studies depict a negative portrait of public housing tenants’ well-being, including stigma, social exclusion, as well as mental and physical health problems (e.g., Digenis-Bury, Brooke, Chen, Ostrem, & Horsburgh, 2008; Manjarrez, Popkin, & Guernsey, 2007; Palmer, Ziersch, Arthurson, & Baum, 2004; Rivest, 2006). Another line of research however tells a more nuanced story of the influence of public housing environment on tenants’ well-being (e.g., Manzo, 2014; Manzo, Kleit, & Couch, 2008; Sinha & Kasdan, 2013; Tester, Ruel, Anderson, Reitzes, & Oakley, 2011; Tester & Wingfield, 2013). According to these studies, several tenants experience happiness and develop a positive sense of community.…”