A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Temporality, refugees, and housing: The effects of temporary assistance on refugee housing outcomes in Italy
Abstract While scholarly interest in forced migration has grown in recent years, the analytic focus has primarily been a spatial one. However, there is a growing recognition of the need to incorporate the temporal dimension into analyses of forced migration, in particular concerning the governance of refugee processing, reception and settlement. This recognition is based on a desire to better understand how states use time and timing to create borders, to define state membership, and to limit access to resources. This research addresses this gap in the literature, focusing on how temporality within the Italian national refugee reception programs shapes housing outcomes for refugees (people with political asylum, subsidiary and humanitarian protection status) in Bergamo (Italy). The findings show that after exiting accommodation centers refugees in Bergamo experienced multiple forms of housing instability, including homelessness, sleeping rough, doubling up, and using temporary structures. We argue here that the temporary and transitional nature of the housing and employment programs provided through the reception system are a significant explanatory factor.
Highlights Italian refugee reception programs—housing and employment—are not well linked to receipt of permanent housing contracts The state deploys temporalities to create borders Temporary status and temporary programs contribute to protracted liminality and with it, subsequent housing precarity After exiting reception programs, refugees experience multiple forms of housing instability Refugees are often homeless, or forced to temporarily sleep on the street
Temporality, refugees, and housing: The effects of temporary assistance on refugee housing outcomes in Italy
Abstract While scholarly interest in forced migration has grown in recent years, the analytic focus has primarily been a spatial one. However, there is a growing recognition of the need to incorporate the temporal dimension into analyses of forced migration, in particular concerning the governance of refugee processing, reception and settlement. This recognition is based on a desire to better understand how states use time and timing to create borders, to define state membership, and to limit access to resources. This research addresses this gap in the literature, focusing on how temporality within the Italian national refugee reception programs shapes housing outcomes for refugees (people with political asylum, subsidiary and humanitarian protection status) in Bergamo (Italy). The findings show that after exiting accommodation centers refugees in Bergamo experienced multiple forms of housing instability, including homelessness, sleeping rough, doubling up, and using temporary structures. We argue here that the temporary and transitional nature of the housing and employment programs provided through the reception system are a significant explanatory factor.
Highlights Italian refugee reception programs—housing and employment—are not well linked to receipt of permanent housing contracts The state deploys temporalities to create borders Temporary status and temporary programs contribute to protracted liminality and with it, subsequent housing precarity After exiting reception programs, refugees experience multiple forms of housing instability Refugees are often homeless, or forced to temporarily sleep on the street
Temporality, refugees, and housing: The effects of temporary assistance on refugee housing outcomes in Italy
Dotsey, Senyo (author) / Lumley-Sapanski, Audrey (author)
Cities ; 111
2020-12-28
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
| NTIS | 1969