What housing justice work needs: Results of the Constantly Learning Survey
Thank you again to those who completed the Housing Justice Needs Survey!
Responses included experiences of work in social housing, homelessness services, advocacy roles, and lived experience positions across Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.
Despite diverse roles and experiences, there were common needs for housing justice work and shared ideas about what housing justice is.
Housing justice is about people first
More than anything else, the survey respondents emphasised the importance of person-centred and trauma informed practices to support housing justice work.
Respondents emphasised the importance of understanding and empathy, as well as an appreciation of the diversity, strengths, and implicit value of people experiencing housing precarity and homelessness.
Recognising that housing justice is about people first is also about recognising the knowledge and contributions of people with lived experience. People with lived/living experiences need to be genuinely involved with creating the solutions. Beyond consultation, housing justice needs co-design, co-governance, and authentic collaboration.
Housing justice is about Housing First
As a person-centred response to issues of housing precarity and homelessness, respondents emphasised that housing justice requires housing, first.
Respondents shared the challenges of insufficient housing supply for housing justice work. Respondents mentioned feeling overwhelmed by inadequate referrals and the harms of seeing people in need of housing competing with each other for limited resources.
As a solution, respondents discussed the importance of sufficient suitable housing, and the use of Housing First models of assistance.
Housing justice is not just about housing
Respondents highlighted that housing justice work is not just about housing. Housing intersects with health, education, transport, policing, and income security.
Further, housing justice is inseparable from “a deep understanding of the systems that shape inequality."
Housing justice work needs support
Respondents had mixed experiences of support and wellbeing in their housing justice work.
Peer networks and solidarity were most important. Housing justice workers reported finding strength in conversations with like-minded colleagues and in their informal collaboration with fellow advocates.
Diverse experiences and diverse knowledges were seen to be valuable. This included formal supports, such as external supervision and union membership, as well as informal supports through platforms such as LinkedIn.
However, there is not enough support for housing justice. Systemic issues, short term funding and planning, siloed organisations, and persistent under-resourcing challenged housing justice work. More than one respondent raised the emotional toll of housing justice work and the loss of housing justice workers to burnout.
Respondents called for more networking opportunities and better ways to share knowledge across the sector. They want capacity building programs, data transparency, long term and flexible funding, and upskilling and/or pro bono supports for dealing with legal issues, strategic planning, design, and communications.
Housing justice is about holding hope
Despite the challenges, respondents offered a compelling vision for what housing justice work could become. Respondents emphasised that housing justice is not about charity but about building strong communities.
The way forward, according to these housing justice workers, requires:
Redistributing power, not just resources, particularly to those most impacted by current systems
Genuine co-design with lived experience, moving beyond tokenistic consultation
Better connections between researchers, policymakers, and service providers
Strong, accountable leadership that can sustain workers and maintain focus on long term change
Recognition that housing justice work is foundational to creating healthier, safer, more inclusive communities
Respondents described housing justice work as hard but hopeful. They are working for better support, stronger connections, and the resources to move beyond crisis responses toward genuine prevention and systemic change.
What am I doing about this?
Everything that Constantly Learning has to offer will be in consideration of these needs. Constantly Learning is focused on supporting housing justice and social change that holds hope, values people, and recognises housing as fundamental to housing justice.
Specifically, I am currently developing a training about trauma informed practices with regard for the systemic contexts of housing justice: Trauma informed practices for social change.
Next up will be training packages for collaborative work, including with people with lived/living experiences, and Housing First as it relates to housing justice.
I also continue to be available for targeted supports with reflective supervision or project development. Please get in touch to discuss how I can support your housing justice work. I offer sliding scale fees and additional considerations for lived/living experience led work.
Finally, I invite those working for housing justice to keep telling me what is needed! And to tell me where I don’t quite meet my own aims in this! Housing justice is tricky territory, and it requires us to support each other to hold hope and pursue change.