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The chapter begins with an analysis of the discourses of homelessness that forms the background to a description of the policies towards homeless people in Sweden and Britain. This is followed by an analysis of the impact of different models of supported housing used in the two countries using the framework described earlier in the book. Finally some conclusions are drawn on the impact of supported housing on the well-being of the homeless residents.

This chapter is concerned with supported housing options for people with disabilities. A broad scope of issues is covered by the heading of disability, including both mental and physical health and illness, learning disability, physical impairment and disability. The chapter follows a similar structure to the previous two with a focus on policy discourses such as the social model of disability, independent living and normalization, followed by a description of policy in each of Britain and Sweden. There follows an evaluation of the forms of supported housing most used for disabled people.

Chapter 2 reviews the philosophies, concepts and discourses that underpin provision and form the basis for the evaluation of its impact. Discourses are situated in particular social and political settings and so the chapter begins with a discussion of the nature of post-modern societies with an emphasis on diversity, identity and lifestyle. The focus then shifts to the discourses that have shaped supported housing. Most emphasis here is placed on the discourse of well-being which forms the basis of the evaluation framework used in the book. The history of the well-being discourse is described and the underlying rationales for the discourse assessed. It is argued that the discourse is of most use if the psychological concepts that underpin it are uncovered and operationalized. The main concepts of personal control, identity and self-esteem and social relations are described and applied to the situation of supported housing. The final part of the chapter examines the way that the discourses and concepts have been used to assess the outcomes of supported housing, either through inspection by regulatory agencies or through performance measurement regimes.

Chapter one sets the context for the rest of the book by describing the main similarities and differences in forms of supported housing. First it examines the definition of support and looks at the many different kinds of accommodation and support that can be provided and their objectives. The chapter then focuses on the different models of supported housing by identifying the diverse ways in which different forms of accommodation can be mixed with various forms of support. A number of models are identified and they are described and some general issues that influence their impact are identified. This discussion is intended to set the scene for the more detailed discussion of supported housing models for particular ‘categories’ of people in the following chapters.

The chapter begins with a comparison of Britain and Sweden. This section reflects on the welfare regimes approach and comments on the position and trajectories of the two countries in the light of the evidence presented in the book. The chapter continues with a discussion of the discourses that are associated with policy and provision and reflects on similarities and differences between the two countries. This section reflects on the usefulness of the well-being framework and its future application. The penultimate section considers the findings in the individual chapters on the evaluation of the different models of supported housing. In this section the focus is on the general models and the attempt is made to determine whether some models are better than others across the field. This leads to a final surmise on the future of supported housing.

This chapter outlines the aims of the book and introduces definitions of the key terms of supported housing and support. A major objective of the book is to provide a framework to guide future research, which needs to be focused on the impact of supported housing on the well-being of vulnerable people. The book focuses on the philosophies and discourses underpinning supported housing. Important questions include why is it being provided? What are its objectives? Who is meant to benefit and in what ways?

In chapter three the research on the relationship between people and their houses and homes is reviewed. It is clear that our homes mean much to us and are an important symbol of our identity and enable us to live our preferred lifestyle. However, there is a distinction in thinking about homes between the social and the physical dimensions. Homes do carry important meanings for us, but they are also the physical locale of many of our daily activities. The chapter puts forward a perspective based on the concept of ‘affordances’ to provide a holistic analysis that includes both the physical and meaning elements of a house.

The same ‘affordances’ approach is used to analyse the relationship between people and their neighbourhoods. Again the theme is the need to integrate analysis of the physical attributes of a neighbourhood (for example its amenities and accessibility) with its meaning elements such as the potential for a feeling of belonging and attachment. A key element of the discussion in this chapter is the important issue of segregation. The key question to be posed is whether vulnerable people’s well-being is improved by living in a balanced community or in a segregated one. The chapter argues that there is no universal answer to this question as it depends on individual preferences, situations and lifestyles. The chapter concludes by bringing together the discussions of well-being, and the locales of home and neighbourhood to form a framework that will be used in the rest of the book to evaluate the outcomes of supported housing.