The housing-education nexus in South Africa beyond COVID-19: Implications for social work and social policy

Abstract

The notion that housing is the bedrock of the social and economic development of families and communities is well acknowledged in all societies. From a social development and social policy perspective, this conceptual paper provides a compelling argument about the dividends that accrue from integrating housing and education planning. The rights to housing and education are social investments that promote human, social and economic development. The impact of Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) and its subsequent lockdowns were too severe on children from poor households who occupied inadequate housing. The authors make use of a literature methodology that synthesises United Nations policies and updates on COVID-19, empirical research and government policies and steps taken to attenuate the impact of the pandemic. The paper establishes that the country is still impaired by high levels of poverty which locks poor children in poor schools and poor housing. During COVID-19, millions of these children had their rights to education undermined because their economic and housing circumstances could not allow them to participate in online learning. Having established the essential social development potential of housing it is therefore fitting to rethink how social policy could be employed to dovetail the housing and education nexus. The authors recommend research to help envision this relationship, not only from a theoretical level but also from collaborative implementation processes.