In my opinion there is no right or wrong answer to this question. There is also no simple answer either. In some cases, it is a resounding “yes” and in others it is a firm “no.” many things need to be considered: the actual building, the accommodation offered (bedroom & other facilities), the location, the staff (attitudes – real being more important than policy), rules, the others who live there, and a lot more besides.

Over the years I have lived virtually all over the country, in all sorts of temporary accommodation, from a 4 bedroom house (with a drop-in in the basement) to one housing about 180 people. Some have been women only, but most have been mixed and quite a few do not even exist anymore!

And don’t be fooled, just because a hostel is women only does not automatically make it a good one – the best and the worst hostels I have lived in have both been single sex.

So, let’s start with the worst, shall we? –

It was a YWCA housing around 100 women in Earl’s Court – wow, Earl’s Court, I hear you think, it must have been posh! Well, it wasn’t. the building was falling down around our ears, and we were packed 2 or 3 to a room that could barely squeeze the beds in. nobody ever really spoke to each other, unless it was to snarl “get out of my way!”, and, as I was the only northerner around, they all seemed to hate me.

I was working at the time, so I was out most of the day, and as it was not classed as “supported” accommodation the rent was not too high, but that was it’s only really good point. After about 3 months I could not handle it anymore, I quit my job, packed a couple of bags, and jumped on the first National Express out of there – ending up in Nottingham. I would rather have lived on the streets for a few months than spent another night in that poisonous atmosphere!

Fortunately, I did not have to, I got lucky and moved into a YMCA a day after arriving.

And now for the best –

This was a specially built, 16 room hostel in north Salford. There were 10 bedrooms with ensuite showers and two 3 room “flats”. It was set in beautiful grounds, in a lovely, quiet, residential area – an absolutely amazing place. It is the place where my “memory of temporary accommodation” is set. It describes my first night there when I nearly got wrongly evicted – a real shock to the system, believe me!

Anyway, I soon settled in and became “one of the gang.” I have known some strange rules in my time, but one of the strangest I have ever come across is that you can drink alcohol in your own bedroom, but not in anybody else’s. this meant that if you wanted to have a quiet drink and a chat with a friend, you would end up running back and forth between your room and theirs. The other alternative, of course, was to “bend” the rules – which, quite naturally, is what we did. The only time I received a warning there was when we got caught drinking in my room!

Unfortunately, the place does not exist anymore. Some of those living there sadly did not appreciate what a good thing they had and did not respect the neighbours or the area. They would sit outside – of the grounds – drinking and smoking weed, getting “off their heads”, being rude to the locals, and causing a nuisance. They stole from nearby shops. I got accused of that once; someone slipped a mascara into the pocket of my hoodie without me noticing and the alarms went off as I left. Fortunately, I managed to persuade the security guard that I was not trying to steal it – I don’t wear make up – and he let me go. Boy, did I go ballistic with the girl when I got back to the hostel!!!

Eventually, long after I had moved out, the neighbours got their way and it was closed down – not that I really blame them for wanting this, but it is a shame – and is now a “retirement community.”

So, as you can see, there is a lot that goes into making temporary accommodation “good” or “bad” and it’s not just down to the place itself, the people have more to do with it than the place. On the whole I’d say that most of my experiences have been positive, quite enjoyable in some cases, but the bad ones have been really bad.