Housing: the foundation of community care?

Abstract

Until the late 1980s community care was traditionally the preserve of the health and social care agencies that dominated the planning and provision of care. Since then it has increasingly been recognized that housing should also play a major role in community care. This has been apparent in official guidance and statements, in some of the more innovative forms of community care provision, and in some of the academic literature. Yet the advancement of the housing dimension of community care in the 1980s has arguably become as much of a bland truism as the idea of community care itself has always been. What has remained largely absent from the debate is a considered and critical view of the meaning and potential role of housing in community care, or - more specifically - an agreed vision of the benefits a housing orientation can bring to the quality of community care. This article draws together many strands of the argument. It critically examines the emergence and development of the idea of housing as a 'key' component - even the 'foundation' - of community care, identifying some of the reasons why the housing dimension has risen from a seriously marginalized position to the central role which it is now often suggested it should occupy. The authors conclude by arguing that, whilst some progress has been made, a fundamental shift in thinking is still required at many levels. They suggest that community care users have consistently claimed that housing is the first essential component of effective community care. What is needed is for other participants in the community care process to endorse and develop an ordinary housing approach to community care, in which housing is genuinely accepted as the vital component and which can be translated into practice. This fuller recognition of the housing contribution must embrace meanings which can be agreed, understood and operationalized by the main participants in community care.

Rehabilitation between institutional and non‐institutional forensic psychiatric care: important influences on the transition process

“…This leads to inactivity and boredom, which in turn leads to poorer mental well‐being and a decreasing motivation to stay away from crime. One reason for providing unsuitable occupations can be a lack of communication between the local council and the social services (Bochel et al . 1999, Strand et al .…”

“…This leads to inactivity and boredom, which in turn leads to poorer mental well-being and a decreasing motivation to stay away from crime. One reason for providing unsuitable occupations can be a lack of communication between the local council and the social services (Bochel et al 1999, Strand et al 2009). After attention from the Swedish National Health and Welfare Board, the municipalities are increasing their efforts in order to give the patients individualized support and suitable occupations.…”

Older family‐carers’ views on the future accommodation needs of relatives who have an intellectual disability

“…Although a good service map was available within social services, a key factor remained the lack of information around housing options on which people could make informed choices and a deficit of flexible options. Housing is a complex area which few professionals outside of housing understand, highlighting the criticism of Bochel et al (1999) that ‘despite housing being the foundation of community care, translating and operationalising this was problematic’. A point reinforced by the observation of Foord and Simic (2001: 171) that ‘the cognitive and cultural gap between housing and social workers across the divide was apparent to all researchers’.…”

“…Studying six local authorities, they found that family‐carers’ and social service managers’ knowledge about locally available choices was limited by the fact that few authorities had a good map of services and service gaps. Bochel, Bochel & Page (1999) argue that despite housing being the foundation of community care, translating and operationalising this is problematic, creating uncertainty, which may explain why parents appear to favour institutional models of care (Corkish & Heyman, 1998). The UK government aims to include service‐users and their family‐carers in future planning with relation to accommodation, but this has not been a common occurrence (McConkey & Adams, 2000).…”

Psychiatric rehabilitation and social inclusion of people with mental illness: a Portuguese experience and a critical analysis of current barriers

“…The concern with housing in the community dates back to the closure of large longstay hospitals, which led to the creation in the 1960s and 1970s of 'special needs' accommodation such as group homes (Bochel, Bochel, & Page, 1999). In these decades, there was a proliferation of transitional halfway houses and the concept of a residential continuum appeared (Carling, 1990).…”