The study explored the impact of unsuitable housing on children's quality of life and the health of their parents and siblings. The report Homes unfit for children by Christine Oldman and Bryony Beresford was published by Policy Press in September 1998. Research has reconfirmed the very poor health status and poor access to GP services experienced by people sleeping rough in England. Follow the link above to read the executive summary of the report. Housing and support services are very underdeveloped in rural areas and yet vulnerability can be worsened as a consequence of the social isolation some rural dwellers experience.
Organisations face a number of difficulties when they try to develop services.
Provision can be prohibitively costly and transport and travelling distances can cause problems for both providers and users. Acute shortages of affordable and appropriate housing make it harder for support services to be effective. The Rural Development Commission is funding the Centre of Housing Policy to evaluate these projects. Visit JRF and read the Findings for this research. The research tested various ideas about the ways in which sheltered housing can be better integrated into community care by surveying 1,500 sheltered housing residents and holding focus groups with older people and professionals.