ABSTRACT
Too often the words ‘house’ and ‘home’ are used as if they are synonymous, and the word ‘housing‘ (as a noun) is used to imply a group of houses. Before discussing the importance of house, home, and housing and the relationship these have with ‘health’ and ‘well-being’, it will be useful to give definitions for the purposes of this chapter. (Where a word or term has a specific definition for a particular purpose, such as for the interpretation of legislation, this will be made clear and the particular definition given.)
The World Health Organization, Europe (WHO) considers housing to be a broad concept involving four interrelated elements – the house (or dwelling), the home, the immediate environment (or neighbourhood), and the community. The house or dwelling is the physical structure
providing shelter with the necessary space, facilities and amenities for the occupant(s) or intended occupant(s). A house is also a financial asset, mainly a personal, individual asset, but a national asset as well. As an asset, there will be a psychological significance to the owner (or person purchasing, perhaps through a mortgage), but the degree of this significance will vary depending on whether the house is intended to provide accommodation for
personal occupation, or for renting. More relevant to this chapter is the primary purpose of a house or dwelling – that of providing somewhere to establish a home. To this end, it should be designed, constructed and maintained to provide a safe and healthy environment for the occupant(s) and any visitors. However, it is not possible to provide a completely safe and healthy dwelling – we need hazards such as electricity, stairs, cooking facilities, windows and doors – and so any necessary and unavoidable hazards should be as safe as possible. A dwelling should provide protection from the local climate, it should allow for the normal day-to-day activities of the occupant(s) throughout the year without problems, and its condition should be such that it does not interfere with the occupant(s) establishing a home. It should have sufficient space to allow for the inter-relationship between the members of the household and also allow individuals the opportunity for privacy. It should also be affordable, both in terms of the rent or mortgage repayment and in terms of the ‘running-costs’ – the costs of local taxes, of energy, of water, and of maintenance. The home is the social, cultural and economic
structure created by the individual or household. It is the structure that gives a human refuge from the outside world, enables the development of a sense of identity and, for a household, a sense of attachment. The home creates an environment where one can be, and develop, oneself.
