Identity Matters: Navigating the Trade-Offs and Challenges of Quality Housing for Black Women Renters

Background and Purpose: Housing insecurity is a growing issue in the United States, characterized by affordability challenges, homelessness, and substandard housing, significantly impacting well-being. Definitions of housing insecurity often overlook the effects of housing quality on marginalized populations. Black women renters (BWR) face unique vulnerabilities due to intersecting historically oppressed identities of race, gender, and housing tenure. This study centers on housing quality as a critical aspect of housing security, exploring how BWR discuss their experiences acquiring and maintaining quality housing and the structural challenges they face.

Methods: This qualitative multi-case study draws on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 21 BWR living in a Midwestern city. Renters discussed their definitions of housing quality, experiences accessing and maintaining it, perceptions of discrimination, and suggestions for improving local housing conditions. Additionally, seven housing officials, knowledgeable about local housing policy, were interviewed to provide context on systemic discrimination and recommendations for improving housing quality.

Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022), which emphasizes researcher reflexivity and iterative engagement with the data to construct themes representing participants' experiences. This approach allowed for active interpretation while recognizing the dynamic interplay between the researchers’ perspectives and participants' narratives.

Findings: Four themes emerged from the data: 1. Quality Makes a Home, highlighting renters’ definitions of housing quality; 2. Because I'm ______, addressing identity-based discrimination; 3. Overlooked and Dismissed, reflecting systemic disregard for BWR; and 4. Housing for All Means Accountability for All, advocating equitable accountability mechanisms.

The findings revealed that BWR perceive housing quality as integral to housing insecurity, shaped by structural discrimination, systemic inequities, and socioeconomic barriers. Participants conceptualized housing through a lens of safety, comfort, and affordability. They recounted experiences of discrimination while securing and maintaining quality housing, suggesting that identity transcends race and gender, influencing interactions and housing experiences even after securing a lease. Both renters and officials noted the adverse effects of poor-quality housing on well-being and the systemic injustices that force BWR to compromise on housing quality to remain housed.

Conclusion and Implications: The findings underscore the importance of understanding housing quality nuances to promote long-term housing security. The impact of race on housing experiences highlights the need to dismantle structural barriers in housing policy to protect tenants from both overt and subtle discrimination regarding housing quality and access. The data suggest the government should increase accountability for landlords and developers to ensure equitable practices in property and neighborhood maintenance. By fostering accountability and increasing knowledge about housing quality issues, social workers, researchers, and policymakers can promote housing security, challenge systemic inequities, and advance community well-being.

Overall, the study calls for greater attention to the specific challenges faced by BWR in securing quality housing and intensified efforts to enhance housing policy and practices to create a more equitable landscape for all renters.