Rate My Professor Darran Stonehouse

Dr. Darran Stonehouse is a Lecturer in Social Work within the Faculty of Health at Southern Cross University, based at the Gold Coast campus. He holds a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and a PhD, both from La Trobe University. Bringing extensive professional experience as a social worker in homelessness and housing services as well as youth work, Stonehouse previously served in an academic capacity at La Trobe University before joining Southern Cross University. In his current role, he teaches into undergraduate and postgraduate social work and community welfare programs, integrating practical field knowledge with academic instruction to prepare students for professional practice.

Stonehouse's research interests center on contemporary housing and homelessness issues in Australia, trends in social policy and human services provision, and the lived experiences of marginalised populations. He emphasizes governmentality, neoliberal discourses, and ontological security in the context of housing policy. Passionate about social justice, he collaborates with industry partners and communities on projects addressing these challenges. His key publications include: "'Housing risk' and the neoliberal discourse of responsibilisation in Victoria" (Housing Studies, 2015); "Homeless pathways and the struggle for ontological security" co-authored with Guinever Threlkeld and Jacqui Theobald (Housing Studies, 2021); "Responsibility for homelessness: lived experience perspectives and their alignment with neoliberal discourse" (The Australian Journal of Social Issues, 2022); "Housing affordability and homelessness in the Hume region – Victoria 2016"; "Supporting Staff Wellbeing in Child Welfare Services" co-authored with Erica Russ and others (2024); and "Voices of the Street" co-authored with Gregory P. Smith (2025). His scholarship has accumulated over 170 citations, contributing significantly to fields such as housing studies, social policy, and social work. Stonehouse is affiliated with the Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing research group at Southern Cross University.