Conference 2024

Housing Studies Association
Annual Conference 2024

Healthy Homes, Healthy Lives: Exploring the Intersections of Health and Housing

An increasing sensitivity to the social determinants of health has been presented as an argument for reframing and reshaping health policy and services. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly recognised that a simultaneous shift needs to occur in the homes we live in, the places they are situated and the systems which govern how housing is provided, allocated, accessed, and, when needed, refurbished. 

Place provides an analytical focus for studying the dynamics between people and environments, and at a housing scale, housing environments are known to function as mediators of well-being and mental health. Homelessness is a particularly egregious harm and represents an urgent challenge at the intersection of health and housing. Numerous studies have linked poor housing quality (including overcrowding, damp, and insufficient housing facilities) to increased anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia and panic attacks, whilst precarious housing situations (such as unaffordability, evictions and displacement) are known to be associated with and, often, lead to emotional distress. In the UK, the impact of poor housing is estimated to cost the National Health Service (NHS) £1.4 billion annually.

Join us for the Housing Studies Association Annual Conference 2024 as we come together to share housing research broadly and delve into the critical relationship between housing and health in particular. In light of the ongoing global health crisis, the need for safe and healthy housing has never been more urgent. This conference will provide a forum for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to explore the complex connections between housing and health, share innovative approaches to promoting healthy housing, and develop strategies for addressing housing-related health inequities. The conference will further explore broader housing and place research, theoretical developments and policy developments.

We warmly welcome contributions from UK-based and international researchers (within and outside of academia, from all disciplinary backgrounds and at all stages of their careers), policymakers and practitioners, campaigners, activists, and communities and contributions that consider both single country and comparative cases.

At HSA, we are proud of our welcoming and friendly atmosphere at the conference, and we strongly encourage the submission of papers related to housing-related research, practice, and education, irrespective of their direct alignment with the conference theme, fostering a diverse and inclusive discourse on housing studies.

Our conference offers an opportunity to engage in broader discussions including (but not limited to):

• The relationship between our housing and neighbourhoods and our physical and psychological health
• Housing finance and economics
• Intersectional inequalities in access to safe and secure housing
• The approaches to conceptualising ‘home’
• The management and governance of housing providers,
• Urban change and dynamics in housing systems,
• Fuel poverty and climate change,
• The design and quality of residential buildings,
• Harm and housing
• Emergency services and our communities; risk, safety, prevention and response
• Housing, migration, and communities
• Global and cross-sectional responses to housing crises
• Housing activism and politics
• Homelessness, housing and welfare policy, and, 
• Other topics relating to housing-related research, education, and practice.  

The HSA 2024 Annual Conference will be returning as a hybrid conference. With face-to-face sessions in Sheffield between 15th and 17th April, and online sessions between 22nd and 26th April 2024. We have listened to feedback provided over the past 2 years and we have evolved how we will offer a hybrid experience. This ensures we actively provide a space for discussion and presentation from different groups, but also reflects the voluntary nature of the Housing Studies Association and the organisation of the conference.