ABSTRACT
Supported housing is housing that meets the criteria of being a finite resource that empowers service users to become as independent as possible and participate in civic life. One of the problems in talking about “supported housing” is that it is a nebulous term covering a vast range of accommodation types from housing for people with learning disabilities to sheltered housing for older people. There are numerous specific definitions of “vulnerability” written into various Acts of Parliament and other policy documents. Social policy has not only been about the regulation of the poor but has also developed to improve and maintain the fitness of the population. One general definition of supported housing is the common-sense one – housing that is provided with some element of support as an integrated package. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
