Ownership and equity: Perceptions of home ownership by low-income owners of limited equity cooperative housing.
Item
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Title
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Ownership and equity: Perceptions of home ownership by low-income owners of limited equity cooperative housing.
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Identifier
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AAI9732963
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identifier
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9732963
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Creator
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Rae, Ruth Ann.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Susan Saegert
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Date
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1997
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Individual and Family Studies | Urban and Regional Planning | Sociology, Public and Social Welfare | Sociology, Social Structure and Development | Psychology, Social
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Abstract
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This dissertation explores the experience and meaning of cooperative home ownership. In particular, it assesses how the experience of home ownership is grounded in the societal context of ownership and the financial and physical realities of housing. The significance of cooperative ownership is affected by the physical reality of living in multi-unit buildings in an urban area, and the financial reality of having a low income with minimal housing options.;Fifty-two respondents were selected from fifteen multi-unit buildings in New York City converted to limited equity cooperative ownership through tenant actions, with the assistance of community groups, after the landlord abandoned the property. Cooperative buildings were sampled by size and length of ownership. A small number of people from each cooperative were interviewed in their homes to capture how cooperative building differences could affect meaning. An optional photographic method was also conducted to explore the meaning of changes in the physical environment.;The analysis was primarily qualitative. Common themes of meaning were found to be: the importance of not having a landlord, security and control, financial security, joint responsibility, physical improvements, accomplishment and pride, collective identity and life effect and education. Individual experiences of cooperative ownership were influenced by financial, managerial and physical building factors evident at the cooperative building level. The size or age of the cooperatives were generally not found to be very influential in determining meaning, even though some differences could be discerned. Although the dynamics within cooperatives were crucial in defining the essence of ownership, the socio-economic context within which cooperative ownership occurred also colored the experience.;The policy implications noted the importance of technical assistance to both achieve ownership and support the collective aspects of cooperative ownership. Participation in management and the quality of the physical environment were found to positively affect the experience of ownership. Cooperative ownership prevented the displacement of low income people and granted a collective strength which created opportunities for empowerment. This dissertation explored the potential of cooperative ownership as an alternative form of tenure for low income people.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
