ABSTRACT
It is not easy to provide a clear picture of housing provision for the elderly in Britain in the mid-sixties. Local authorities provide housing for old people in various ways and the statistical information available about the extent of provision at national level is difficult to interpret. In this chapter the problem of definitions of different types of housing for the elderly is discussed. The available national figures on sheltered housing and on small housing generally are summarized, and compared with estimates of required provision made by research studies. The available national figures on the private and voluntary sectors are also summarized. Examples from the housing case study authorities are given to illustrate the range of variation in provision between authorities.
