Honors Theses
Date of Award
5-11-2024
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Public Policy Leadership
First Advisor
Melissa Bass
Second Advisor
James Thomas
Third Advisor
Kirk Johnson
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
As Oxford continues to thrive as a university town and tourist destination, the rates of housing insecurity are rising for full-time residents in the community. The types of housing insecurity experienced and their effects can range broadly across households in Oxford, but they consistently lead to low to middle income families experiencing the negative side effects associated with increased transience, poor housing conditions, or being cost-burdened by housing. This study seeks to determine the factors contributing to housing insecurity in Oxford, how this affects residents, and if the current resources are accessible and proportionate to the levels of need within the community. This was accomplished by interviewing 7 individuals who work at housing assistance organizations in Oxford to gain insights on the levels of resources their organization has to offer, the drivers of housing insecurity observed, and their perceptions on the issue and awareness of it over the past several years. Responses highlighted the following four major themes: the levels of need outweigh the current levels of assistance; periods of no income, low wages, and high rental prices are the most cited drivers of housing insecurity; the levels of housing insecurity have increased in recent years due to changes in the housing market and population; and perceptions of the awareness and interest displayed by the public and local government varies greatly. The insights from the interviews, background research, and literature review were used to develop the following three policy recommendations for the City of Oxford: create a homeless shelter, expand housing codes to include property maintenance requirements, and create additional avenues of funding the Housing Trust Fund. Implementation of these recommendations will help decrease certain levels of housing insecurity and assist residents in dealing with its effects.
Recommended Citation
Hinton, Ashlyn, "We Get To Live Here?: Housing Insecurity and Assistance Availability in Oxford, Mississippi" (2024). Honors Theses. 3103.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3103