Abstract
Drawing on findings from the monitoring of two European Social Fund-funded projects
supporting migrants’ access to housing in South Tyrol, Northern Italy, this article examines
the interaction between the local housing and welfare system on the one hand and migrants’
housing pathways on the other. Based on qualitative and quantitative data collected during
this local case study, the article discusses the potential and limitations of socially innovative
interventions to improve migrants’ access to housing. The findings suggest that barriers to
housing access due to the residual (social) rental sector and discriminatory practices in the
housing market have a significant impact on migrants’ welfare.