Housing and Home-Based Work : Considerations for Development and Humanitarian Contexts

For many low-income households in the Global South a house is both a place to live and to generate income in the informal economy. This can include activities in and around the home such as: running small shops selling daily necessities; producing food or crafts; repairing household items; providing services; or rearing plants and animals. For many households home-based work (HBW) is their main source of income. It is particularly important for people who are more likely to be excluded from formal employment outside the home (such as women, elderly and/or disabled people). We used a scoping study methodology to examine the relationship between housing and HBW. 1837 potentially relevant studies were identified in academic and grey literature. 12 studies from Latin America and the Caribbean were then selected for further study. We identified several characteristics of ‘supportive housing and settlements’ which make households more likely to engage in HBW and proposed a model of the symbiotic relationship between housing and HBW. We discuss the implications of our findings for development and humanitarian contexts, make recommendations for policy and practice, and suggest topics for further research