Dr Hannah Absalom is an experienced practitioner and researcher in social housing, with 18 years in housing practice and six years dedicated to studying the intersections of behaviourism and more recently emotions and the home. She holds qualifications in Criminal Justice, social Research and Managing Volunteers. She has extensive experience in tenant advocacy. Currently, she is a Teaching Fellow in public policy, where she brings her real-world expertise into academic settings. Hannah also provides consultancy services on housing issues, working with policy makers, social landlords and tenant organisations to improve housing conditions with an emphasis on relationships between people, such as tenants and landlords, and things, such as housing histories and the home itself.
Hannah’s research explores the emotional impacts of housing, poverty, and social services, focusing on how these intersect with tenant experiences and landlord practices. Her primary interest lies in understanding the role of emotions in housing policy and practice, particularly how tenant-landlord relationships can be improved through trust-building and transparency. Key projects, such as Feeling-at-Home, have allowed her to investigate, together with tenants and housing staff, the personal and societal implications of housing insecurity, tenant rights, and domestic abuse within housing contexts.
Memberships:
Hannah is an active member of the research centre, the Centre for Urban Wellbeing. She is also an associate in a Care focussed research group. Her ongoing collaboration with the School of Medicine’s Shame project also reflects her interdisciplinary approach to research on housing, poverty, and relationality.
Recent Publications:
– Absalom, H. (2023). *Feeling-at-Home: Emotions, Housing, and the Role of Social Practice in Tenant Relationships*. In *Journal of Housing and Social Theory*.
– Absalom, H. (2024). “Changing the Story of Domestic Abuse: Co-Creation in Social Housing.”