Abstract
This policy paper examines the intersection between the securitisation of migration and the housing crisis in the European Union (EU), with a focus on the challenges faced by migrants and refugees in accessing adequate housing. It emphasizes the urgent need for interventions to counter structural barriers to housing access, benefiting not only migrants but also various mid to low-income groups.
The housing crisis in the EU is exacerbating competition between natives and newcomers for the scarce commodity of housing. In this context, the securitisation of migration supports and legitimise discriminatory restrictions against migrants, limiting their access to rents and social protection.
Using the Italian case as a reference, the paper highlights how features of the housing system on the one hand, and reception and integration policies on the other, impact migrants’ housing pathways. In this context, the housing rights of migrants in Italy are affected from the earliest stages of their arrival, with consequences for the subsequent stages of their housing journey. This is further exacerbated by direct discrimination in access to social and private rental housing based on nationality or immigration status.
Policy recommendations are proposed, targeting local authorities and addressing both housing supply and demand. The suggestions include involving municipalities in small-scale reception projects, mainstreaming the housing dimension in integration strategies, implementing tax policies to increase housing availability, and defining social housing access based on need rather than discriminatory criteria.