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Issues raised here are drawn from the findings of a housing investigation that explored harassment and abuse of older tenants in the private rented sector. The project examined older people's experiences and raised important links between health and housing. The article highlights financial abuse directed towards these older people and examines implications for professionals and agencies.

Research into the effectiveness of housing adaptations (Heywood, 2001) showed how housing adaptations contribute powerfully to key national policy objectives in health and social care, but also found some tragic examples of waste. The article considers how good outcomes could be increased, by examining the management policies and practices that systemically caused some expensive adaptations to fail.

The establishment of community care principles should have led to increased provision of independence‐enhancing housing services to older people, but the trend has been in the opposite direction. A research project considered the place of housing in public health and community care planning and the potential of primary health care workers to supply information. The article identifies obstacles to change and proposes an approach which would ensure that information on housing needs was routinely collected and fed into planning processes.

Adaptations ‐ permanent or fixed alterations to make homes more suitable for disabled occupants and their families ‐ are important. A recent project has been seeking to assess their effectiveness from the point of view of the resident. The research was carried out in 1999‐2000 by teams of professionals (housing, environmental health and occupational therapy staff) working in partnership with a research co‐ordinator and with two disabled researchers. This approach generated important data and deficiencies which need to be addressed. There was one clear message from the findings: adaptations work. They improve the quality of life of the people whose homes are adapted, and they deliver on a number of key government objectives.

Good housing is vital to the well‐being of children, but disabled children are widely suffering social exclusion and deprivation of life chances through housing adaptations that are not good enough. Whereas generous provision can do immense long‐term good, adaptations that do not allow for children's growth or development are a waste of time and money. National policy on adaptation has not so far addressed the particular needs of children. Under regulatory reform local authorities have a chance to leap ahead. A checklist to help with planning is offered.

Supporting People was originally promoted as a way of shifting resources out of the confines of ‘special’ housing towards a more flexible approach focused on people. As far as older people were concerned, it spoke of the desirability of giving more, low‐intensity support and of the opportunity for health services to become involved in the commissioning. But detailed proposals have so far been more concerned with protecting the status quo than with innovation, and have emphasised ‘assessment’ rather than the empowerment of service users. Change could still happen through Supporting People, and the practical housing support services older people need could be provided through the agency of primary care groups or through an extension of Attendance Allowance. The article concludes by addressing the problem of finding a suitable labour force to give older people support in their homes, and the need for joined‐up thinking on earnings restrictions for families living on benefits.

This article outlines the housing situation facing families with disabled children, and particularly draws attention to the additional disadvantage experienced by families with disabled children from black and minority ethnic groups. It is a summary of a workshop presented by the author to the Race Equality Foundation conference in November 2007 on the theme of extending choice and participation for black and minority ethnic communities.