Moving in Together and Breaking Up: Relationship Dynamics, Social Housing and the Housing Pathways of Low-income Australians

The formation and breakdown of domestic relationships can have immediate and major housing implications for the parties involved, often involving relocation and subsequent impacts on tenure mobility and affordability. For low-income households, the consequences may be radical. Social housing can help alleviate some of the negative impacts associated with major life changes, such as major illness or changes in family size; yet, in Australia, the social housing system often does not provide the necessary flexibility to respond to the impacts of relationship formations and breakdowns. Utilising David Claphams `housing pathways framework, this paper examines the impact of relationship breakdown and formation on the housing pathways of low-income Australians. We draw on qualitative interviews with sixty social housing tenants in metropolitan and regional locations across Australia