Although, the meaning of your sentence was already cleared up, I'd like to give some pattern of how to use какой-никакой:

какой-никакой, но (всё-таки) + noun OR (Но) + noun, какой-никакой

Usually used to say that you (or anyone else, depends on the sentence) put up with the quality of the thing (the NOUN) you have or about to have, although the quality of the thing is usually not as good as it might be. To be perfectly clear "as good as it might be" is more than likely to be as this ---- very bad, awful or extremely bad, at least from the point of view of the person who uses the phrase.

Это какая-никакая, но шуба OR Но это шуба, какая-никакая ----- The the fur coat is not good as you want it to be or even awful, but it's the only fur-coat you have so you put up with it and use this fur coat, otherwise you gonna freeze a lot.


Какой-никакой, но всё-таки дом --- Well, the house is not as big as you want it, or even in an awful condition, but you still use the house as your home, because you can't get any other house right now to use as your home

Your example: Но здесь люди, какие-никакие, и жилье ----- It's more than likely that the house is located in an awful area, the armpit of the area, so people there are not expected to be friendly, good or something else, but the house there is gonna be your new home so you just gonna take it and put up with all the residents of the area