ABSTRACT
This chapter gives some idea of the standards of housing that homeless families experienced, and examines whether, after the involvement of the local authority, any change in those standards occurred. It looks at the last dwelling occupied by the family before they went into temporary accommodation, and the first dwelling after leaving the hostel. Whereas many of the families rehoused in a terraced or semi-detached dwelling aimed at and succeeded in settling down, the strong feeling amongst those who went into other types of home was that they were a stand-by until something more suitable came along. A feature of the housing history of many families after they left the hostel was higher rents but greater stability of tenancy. After rehousing, two-thirds of the families were prepared to say that their rent was fair, an increase of over 10 per cent over the pre-temporary accommodation position.
