BEYOND SHELTER: ASSESSING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAMMES ON MIXED HOUSEHOLDS
Abstract
Beyond physical shelter, affordable housing programmes influence household welfare, economic security, social inclusion and access to opportunities. Affordable housing determines the amount of household income remaining for food, education, healthcare, transport and savings. The provision of affordable housing however, does not necessarily translate automatically into improved socioeconomic welfare. Households may continue to experience challenges related to employment, household income, education, healthcare, transport costs, social integration and access to essential services, particularly where housing programmes are inadequately connected to economic opportunities. For mixed households comprising individuals and families from different socioeconomic backgrounds, these challenges become more complex because the benefits and costs of affordable housing vary according to income levels, household characteristics and access to neighbourhood resources. The study is anchored on the Capability Approach theory as well as a descriptive research design and simple random sampling that was used to select respondents in the study. Yamane (1967) simplified formula was used to select a sample size of 292 households from the target population of 1080 households from Mukuru affordable housing project. Structured questionnaires were used in collecting primary data that was analysed using SPSS software version 29. Data analysis entailed descriptive and inferential analysis. Descriptive analysis included percentages, means and standard deviations Inferential results included correlation and multiple regression results. From the results, the study concluded social impacts have a positive and statistically significant relationship with affordable housing programmes in Kenya. Economic impacts have a positive and statistically significant relationship with affordable housing programmes in Kenya. The study recommends that the Kenyan government, through the State Department for Housing and Urban Development and other relevant stakeholders, should integrate social infrastructure into affordable housing programmes. The Kenyan government should strengthen affordable housing policies by ensuring that housing costs, including associated service charges, remain within the financial capacity of different household income categories.
Key words: Affordable Housing Programmes, Socio-Economic Impact, Mixed Households
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