Doctor Hazel Blunden

Dr. Blunden is currently employed as a Research Assistant at the University of Western Sydney in the School of Social Sciences and Psychology. She is currently working on various research projects at the University of Western Sydney including on Community Land Trusts and Indigenous housing options with Dr. Louise Crabtree and Professor Peter Phibbs (an AHURI-funded project); on a ‘street to home’ project with rough sleeping homeless men in the Parramatta area; on mapping data on homelessness collected by various agencies in four Western Sydney Local Government Areas (both with Associate Professor Michael Darcy); and on a Boarding House Review with Dr. Gabrielle Drake. Dr. Blunden has extensive experience in housing policy including four years at Shelter NSW and four years in a housing advisory role in NSW State Parliament. She has authored various reports, including on the effectiveness of Rent Assistance (with ACOSS), housing impacts of the Olympic Games (for Centre for Housing Rights and Evictions, Geneva), key workers and local government employment. She recently contributed a chapter on housing and the Olympics in Lenskjy and Wagg’s [eds.] Palgrave publication Handbook of Olympic Studies (2012). Dr Blunden has recently undertaken consultancy work as part of EpicDotGov’s review of the ACT Land Rent Scheme for the ACT Treasury. Dr. Blunden has also been a Tenancy Advisor and has extensive experience working with clients with complex needs including homeless persons.  

This information has been contributed by Doctor Blunden.