Supportive housing and surveillance

Area of Science:

• Urban Studies
• Sociology
• Criminology

Background:

• Supportive housing initiatives aim to address urban social problems like addiction, mental health issues, and homelessness.
• Existing research has explored the built environment of supportive housing, but the intersection of surveillance and supportive housing for vulnerable populations remains under-examined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between surveillance and supportive housing for urban residents with addiction and mental health problems.
• To examine modes of control and coercion within supportive housing in Vancouver, Canada.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative ethnographic observational data collection.
• Examination of physical surveillance technologies, site-specific coercion, and police/staff surveillance.

Main Results:

• Three modes of regulation and control were identified: physical surveillance technologies, site-specific coercion, and police/staff surveillance.
• These surveillance measures significantly impact the daily lives of residents in low-income and supportive housing.
• Supportive housing, intended to provide secure affordable housing, also functions as a site of social control.

Conclusions:

• Supportive housing has the potential to offer safe and secure affordable housing.
• An overemphasis on security in supportive housing can lead to unintended social control mechanisms.
• Further research is needed to balance security needs with resident autonomy in supportive housing settings.