Haunted houses: Using photovoice to understand emotional geographies in single room occupancy housing

Past research has attempted to illuminate the lived experiences of structurally vulnerable people who use drugs (PWUD) living in single room occupancy (SRO) housing, demonstrating how vulnerabilities to health and social harms are shaped by intersecting social, structural, and spatial forces. However, less attention has been paid to affective dynamics in SROs. Drawing on emotional geographies and theories of haunting, this study examines how emotional experiences of place—especially related to fear, anxiety, and isolation—structure daily life in SROs in Vancouver, Canada, situating these dynamics within wider social-structural-historical contexts. Data were generated through in-depth interviews (Oct 2022 – Sept 2023) with 30 PWUD living in SRO housing and photovoice conducted with a subset of nine participants. This analysis develops ‘haunted houses’ to connect emotional geographies to histories of colonialism, institutional neglect, and gendered violence that linger in built environments and seep into daily life. Participants described SROs using emotionally charged language and imagery, characterizing them as frightening, decaying, and saturated with death. These accounts show how material conditions, institutional practices, and broader histories of violence converge to produce geographies of fear, isolation, and unease, within which practices often considered risky (e.g., using alone, social isolation) were experienced as emotionally rational. Women's narratives further revealed gendered emotional geographies shaped by normalized gender-based violence. Findings demonstrate that emotional geographies are central to how PWUD navigate housing and harm reduction. This study offers critical insights into limitations of existing policies and practices in addressing affective realities in SROs while underscoring the need for more humane, contextually-informed responses.