“It’s like I’m on the balcony even though I’m not.” Resident perceptions of state-required private outdoor spaces in Michigan’s permanent supportive housing
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: A private outdoor space (balcony or patio) is required for all dwellings supported by Michigan’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. These private outdoor spaces may particularly benefit residents of permanent supportive housing (PSH) who have experienced trauma and homelessness. Using the lens of affordance theory, this qualitative study examined residents’ perceived value of private outdoor space among four Michigan PSH sites. Twenty-three resident interviews, informed by two staff focus groups, were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three of four themes related to direct uses of private outdoor space that afforded opportunities for prospect-refuge, connections to nature, and control over social interaction. The fourth theme addressed indirect, unobservable, and invisible uses and benefits afforded by private outdoor space such as indoor experiences and emotional attachment. Despite PSH staff concerns that residents did not use balconies and patios, participants described rich definitions of value, experiences, and relationships to their private outdoor spaces not captured by conventional measures of use (e.g. frequency and duration) found in the literature. Study implications include the importance of engaging PSH resident and staff in research about private outdoor space benefits to capture the full value of these spaces and inform PSH design and policy.
Source: Housing and Society
Authors: Christina Bollo, Kimberly Rollings
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4410756701