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‘Taking our Houses’: Perceptions of the Impact of Asylum Seekers, Refugees and New Migrants on Housing Assistance in Melbourne

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 August 2012

Angela Spinney  and
Amy Nethery
Angela Spinney
Affiliation:
Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology E-mail: aspinney@swin.edu.au
Amy Nethery
Affiliation:
School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University E-mail: amy.nethery@deakin.edu.au
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Abstract

The pressing issue of homelessness in Australia is largely caused by a shortage of affordable accommodation. Unexpected results from a study into the experiences of homeless families, however, revealed that many people held the perception that asylum seekers, refugees and migrants are given greater priority by welfare agencies for housing assistance. Analysis of the interview data is used to illustrate how public and political discourses circulating at the time of the interviews may have contributed to these views. The article also discusses the extent to which xenophobia in the Australian community has links with feelings of economic insecurity.

Keywords

Homelessnesshousingmigrantsasylum seekersrefugees
Type
Articles
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , April 2013 , pp. 179 - 189
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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