Housing Careers and the Significance of Place

Abstract

The movement from the parental home (or living in care¹) to independent living is one of the key dimensions of the transition to adulthood (Jones and Wallace, 1992; Coles, 1995; Jones, 2002). ‘Independent living’ does not imply complete financial and emotional independence. As noted in chapter 7, for instance, many young parents continued to rely on support from their families and friends, and from the state through welfare benefits, after they had left home. As we will see, connections to family networks and to place emerged as particularly important in understanding the housing careers of these informants. Housing decisions and moves articulated with individuals’ varied and changing perceptions of their home locales and, before suggesting some conclusions, we review informant’s complicated, sometimes contradictory feelings about the poor neighbourhoods in which they had grown up.

Living here, it’s brilliant.

(Martin, 20)