TY  - RPRT
AU  - Habibis, Daphne
AU  - Atkinson, Rowland
AU  - Dunbar, Terry
AU  - Goss, Dan
AU  - Easthope, Hazel
AU  - Maginn, Paul
CY  - Melbourne
L1  - internal-pdf://2907462920/AHURI_Final_Report_No103_A_sustaining_tenancie.pdf
internal-pdf://1275622801/AHURI_Final_Report_No103_Appendix.pdf
M1  - 40327
M3  - FR
N1  - Whilst tenants with identified anti-social behaviour issues have been spcifically
excluded from the scope of this synthesis, this report provides some valuable
principles for managing any challenging behaviour that may emerge. This is perhaps
most pertinent to those with an intellectual disability or mental illness, who are
identified elsewhere in the literature as sometimes displaying annoying behaviour
which inadvertently causes noise and other types of disturbance to neighbours.
This report was developed by a group of ÂþÌìÌÃÈë¿Úresearchers as a best practice guide
for sustaining tenancies which are vulnerable to failure (Habibis et al. 2007). The
authors suggest that several groups are vulnerable to tenancy failure:
à people with mental illness and/or addiction
à people with physical disabilities or ill health
à young people
à single parents
à large families
à Indigenous Australians (p.2).
One of the sources of tenancy failure (eviction) is anti-social behaviour. A range of
types of anti-social behaviour (ASB) are outlined in the table below (p.6):
Figure 1: Types of ASB
They suggest that anti-social behaviour can cause as many problems for the
perpetrator as it does for the victim, due to retaliatory acts and the like, in which the
perpetrator becomes a victim (p.7-8).
A range of disciplinary strategies for dealing with ASB are outlined (p.11):

à Introductory, probationary or renewable tenancies
à Written agreements (such as Good Behaviour Agreements)
à Anti-social behaviour orders (which are used in the UK, but not in Australia at the time of writing).
The justification of disciplinary measures in the research literature is debatable (p.14). Therefore, supportive responses to ASB are advocated in recognition that ‗difficult behaviours often derive from difficult circumstances‘ (p.13).
The key principles for developing a supportive, holistic strategy to sustain threatened tenancies include:
à Prevention ‗...through measures such as appropriate design and construction, sensitive allocations; community development and education; good neighbour policies‘ (p.13).
à Early intervention through ‗a regular and frequent maintenance program; early response to complaints; early warning systems‘ (p.13).
à Support ‗through provision of information; referral; specialist services; partnerships with other services‗ (p.14).
à Negotiation ‗through mediation services for tenants involved in a dispute; encouraging self-help amongst tenants‘ (p.14).
à Training staff to ‗understand the relationship between eviction and homelessness; understand the consequences of homelessness; develop the values, skills and knowledge to work with tenants to sustain their tenancies successfully; keep safe‘ (p.14).
A range of policy principles are drawn out for best practice in sustaining threatened tenancies:
à A whole-of-organisation commitment (i.e. on behalf of the ‗landlord‘) (p.22).
à A tenant-centred focus, including ‗being non-judgemental..., developing empathy and compassion for tenants, [and] recognising that demanding behaviour may result from social, physical or mental difficulties or needs‘ (p.26).
à Social inclusion, including a holistic approach to problem solving, ‗an emphasis of encouraging participation‘ in the community, and the ‗promotion of tolerance and support in the community‘ (p.26).
Best practice principles include:
à ‗Enabling tenants to live with minimum restriction as well as maximum satisfaction both to themselves and the community.
à Respecting the confidentiality and privacy of tenants in accordance with applicable laws.
à Be sensitive to, and respect, the cultural and linguistic background of tenants. ....
à Provide mechanisms for the separation of housing and support to prevent a perceived or real power imbalance between the tenant and the service providers. ...‘ (p.27).
à ‗Work with the community to promote peaceful neighbourhoods and increased understanding and acceptance of social difference
à Provide clear, consistent and transparent policies

à Work with other service providers to establish joined-up solutions to joined-up problems‘ (p.28).
à Specialist position in the supporting organisations ‗permit the development of expert knowledge...‘ (p.29).
à ‗Staff development programs ...should be a routine part of training...‘ (p.32).
à Physical design of social housing which sustains difficult tenancies is generally seen to have the following features:
à ‗Low density building
à Provision of community facilities
à Use of noise-proofing materials, especially in high density areas
à Ensuring physical safety and security
à Adapting homes to household changes
à Promoting energy and resource efficiency
à Low visibility, especially in mixed tenure areas‘ (p.38).
à Prompt, practive and regular maintenance needs to be scheduled in to a housing association‘s or State Housing Authority‘s activities (p.39).
à ‗Multi-agency working is a conrnerstone of a sustaining tenancies approach‘ (p.40).
à Tenancy allocation and pre-tenancy work can go a long way towards facilitating successful tenancies and reducing tenancy failure. This should include:
à ‗Maximis[ing] tenant participation in the selection of their home‘ (p.51).
à ‗Permit[ting] sensitive allocations which recognise that ‗top of the list‘ is not always appropriate‘ (p.52).
à ‗The allocations interview should assess the capacity of applicants to sustain a public housing tenancy and a strategy for providing support should be agreed upon with the applicant as part of the pre-tenancy negotiation‘ (p.52).
à The authors provided a typology of support need to consider:
à ‗Type 1 Multiple non-intensive needs
à Type 2 A few intensive needs
à Type 3 Multiple intensive needs that compromise functioning but not the ability to meet basic needs
à Type 4 Multiple intensive needs that compromise the ability to function and meet basic needs and which often manifest in challenging behaviours....‘ (p.54).
This study provides a range of guidance and best practice principles for managing and supporting high needs tenancies.
NV  - Adelaide Uni
PB  - Australian Housing and Urban ÂþÌìÌÃÈë¿Ú Institute Limited
PY  - 2007
RP  - Whilst tenants with identified anti-social behaviour issues have been spcifically
excluded from the scope of this synthesis, this report provides some valuable
principles for managing any challenging behaviour that may emerge. This is perhaps
most pertinent to those with an intellectual disability or mental illness, who are
identified elsewhere in the literature as sometimes displaying annoying behaviour
which inadvertently causes noise and other types of disturbance to neighbours.
This report was developed by a group of ÂþÌìÌÃÈë¿Úresearchers as a best practice guide
for sustaining tenancies which are vulnerable to failure (Habibis et al. 2007). The
authors suggest that several groups are vulnerable to tenancy failure:
à people with mental illness and/or addiction
à people with physical disabilities or ill health
à young people
à single parents
à large families
à Indigenous Australians (p.2).
One of the sources of tenancy failure (eviction) is anti-social behaviour. A range of
types of anti-social behaviour (ASB) are outlined in the table below (p.6):
Figure 1: Types of ASB
They suggest that anti-social behaviour can cause as many problems for the
perpetrator as it does for the victim, due to retaliatory acts and the like, in which the
perpetrator becomes a victim (p.7-8).
A range of disciplinary strategies for dealing with ASB are outlined (p.11):

à Introductory, probationary or renewable tenancies
à Written agreements (such as Good Behaviour Agreements)
à Anti-social behaviour orders (which are used in the UK, but not in Australia at the time of writing).
The justification of disciplinary measures in the research literature is debatable (p.14). Therefore, supportive responses to ASB are advocated in recognition that ‗difficult behaviours often derive from difficult circumstances‘ (p.13).
The key principles for developing a supportive, holistic strategy to sustain threatened tenancies include:
à Prevention ‗...through measures such as appropriate design and construction, sensitive allocations; community development and education; good neighbour policies‘ (p.13).
à Early intervention through ‗a regular and frequent maintenance program; early response to complaints; early warning systems‘ (p.13).
à Support ‗through provision of information; referral; specialist services; partnerships with other services‗ (p.14).
à Negotiation ‗through mediation services for tenants involved in a dispute; encouraging self-help amongst tenants‘ (p.14).
à Training staff to ‗understand the relationship between eviction and homelessness; understand the consequences of homelessness; develop the values, skills and knowledge to work with tenants to sustain their tenancies successfully; keep safe‘ (p.14).
A range of policy principles are drawn out for best practice in sustaining threatened tenancies:
à A whole-of-organisation commitment (i.e. on behalf of the ‗landlord‘) (p.22).
à A tenant-centred focus, including ‗being non-judgemental..., developing empathy and compassion for tenants, [and] recognising that demanding behaviour may result from social, physical or mental difficulties or needs‘ (p.26).
à Social inclusion, including a holistic approach to problem solving, ‗an emphasis of encouraging participation‘ in the community, and the ‗promotion of tolerance and support in the community‘ (p.26).
Best practice principles include:
à ‗Enabling tenants to live with minimum restriction as well as maximum satisfaction both to themselves and the community.
à Respecting the confidentiality and privacy of tenants in accordance with applicable laws.
à Be sensitive to, and respect, the cultural and linguistic background of tenants. ....
à Provide mechanisms for the separation of housing and support to prevent a perceived or real power imbalance between the tenant and the service providers. ...‘ (p.27).
à ‗Work with the community to promote peaceful neighbourhoods and increased understanding and acceptance of social difference
à Provide clear, consistent and transparent policies

à Work with other service providers to establish joined-up solutions to joined-up problems‘ (p.28).
à Specialist position in the supporting organisations ‗permit the development of expert knowledge...‘ (p.29).
à ‗Staff development programs ...should be a routine part of training...‘ (p.32).
à Physical design of social housing which sustains difficult tenancies is generally seen to have the following features:
à ‗Low density building
à Provision of community facilities
à Use of noise-proofing materials, especially in high density areas
à Ensuring physical safety and security
à Adapting homes to household changes
à Promoting energy and resource efficiency
à Low visibility, especially in mixed tenure areas‘ (p.38).
à Prompt, practive and regular maintenance needs to be scheduled in to a housing association‘s or State Housing Authority‘s activities (p.39).
à ‗Multi-agency working is a conrnerstone of a sustaining tenancies approach‘ (p.40).
à Tenancy allocation and pre-tenancy work can go a long way towards facilitating successful tenancies and reducing tenancy failure. This should include:
à ‗Maximis[ing] tenant participation in the selection of their home‘ (p.51).
à ‗Permit[ting] sensitive allocations which recognise that ‗top of the list‘ is not always appropriate‘ (p.52).
à ‗The allocations interview should assess the capacity of applicants to sustain a public housing tenancy and a strategy for providing support should be agreed upon with the applicant as part of the pre-tenancy negotiation‘ (p.52).
à The authors provided a typology of support need to consider:
à ‗Type 1 Multiple non-intensive needs
à Type 2 A few intensive needs
à Type 3 Multiple intensive needs that compromise functioning but not the ability to meet basic needs
à Type 4 Multiple intensive needs that compromise the ability to function and meet basic needs and which often manifest in challenging behaviours....‘ (p.54).
This study provides a range of guidance and best practice principles for managing and supporting high needs tenancies.
ST  - A sustaining tenancies approach to managing demanding behaviour in public housing: a good practice guide
T2  - ÂþÌìÌÃÈë¿ÚFinal Report No. 103
TI  - A sustaining tenancies approach to managing demanding behaviour in public housing: a good practice guide
UR  - /research/final-reports/103
ID  - 145
ER  -