Accommodating Difference ─ Evaluating Supported Housing for Vulnerable People

For vulnerable older, disabled, or homeless people who need accommodation and support, many different services have been developed, from hostels and group homes to extra-care housing and retirement villages. But do these settings effectively improve the well-being of those who live in them? This book explores the rationale behind these accommodations and the impact different forms of accommodation policy and practice have on the lives of vulnerable people, arguing for a flexible policy approach that places people in control of their own lives. Applying an original evaluation framework to case studies in the United Kingdom and Sweden—two countries with long and differing service histories—Accommodating Difference raises important questions, making it a valuable resource for supported housing practitioners and policy makers, as well as for students of urban studies, planning, and health and social care.

David Clapham is professor of planning at the University of Reading and visiting professor in the Institute for Housing and Urban Research at Uppsala University, Sweden. He is author of a number of books, including The Meaning of Housing: A Pathways Approach, also published by Policy Press.