Sociology students studying housing insecurity in Oxford will be going door-to-door over for the next several weeks to survey residents about affordable housing in Lafayette County.

The survey is on housing affordability and insecurity and is connected with the many discussions in the community recently about the need for more affordable housing for low and moderate income households and families.

“My hope is that if residents read about this survey beforehand, they’ll be more receptive to answering the door and participating when we come knocking,” said James Thomas, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Mississippi.

The research team is interested in learning more about a range of housing experiences within the L-O-U community. Researchers will be moving in groups of two, and are hoping residents will be receptive to answering questions about their household and neighborhood characteristics.

Thomas’ research team is comprised of advanced, undergraduate students in his Honors-level seminar on Housing Insecurity.

Thomas said after the surveys are complete, they will share a report of the findings with city and county officials.

“We are hoping the research helps guide local leaders’ decision-making on housing and development,” Thomas said.