ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by looking at three important influences on policy towards the homeless, as it was expressed in the 1948 National Assistance Act. It discusses the development of relevant aspects of Poor Law policies. The chapter examines the housing policies with specific reference to the recognition given to those who, from poverty or other problems, have been classed as unsatisfactory tenants, and to the importance of housing shortages. It proceeds to the passage of the National Assistance Act, and from there traces developments in policy up to the end of the 1960s. Domiciliary relief, more commonly called parish or outdoor relief, was always the dominant and erratic part of the system, because Poor Law administrators experienced great difficulty in implementing a balanced programme of benefits for families who continued to live in the community. The restructuring of services continued throughout the years prior to 1939, hampered for much of the time by severe restrictions on public spending.
