For vulnerable older, disabled or homeless people who need accommodation and support, many different forms of housing have developed – whether hostels, group homes, extra-care housing or retirement villages. But do these settings effectively improve the well-being of those who live in them? This important book explores the impact of different forms of policy and practice on the lives of vulnerable people, arguing for a flexible policy approach that places people in control of their own lives. It puts forward an original evaluation framework and applies this to case studies of provision in Britain and Sweden – two countries with long and differing experiences – to raise interesting and important issues for the future. The book will be a valuable resource for those working in and devising policy for supported housing as well as students on urban studies and planning courses and those studying health and social care subjects who wish to better understand the nature of supported housing.

"Accommodating Difference is a much-needed addition to the evolving and unsettled discussion of supportive housing. This book is a critical and thoughtful read of policy and practice, which through its examples helps us to see how supportive housing can increase subjective well-being and maintain dignity." Janet Smith, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
“David Clapham’s work shines a light on a relatively under-researched housing topic. The need to understand different ways of seeing the world is crucial if we are to provide good quality supported housing for vulnerable people and to embrace and accommodate difference.” Jo Richardson, Professor of Housing and Social Research, De Montfort University, UK

Professor of Planning at the University of Reading in the UK and Visiting Professor at IBF at the University of Uppsala in Sweden.