Abstract

The recent inflow and reception issues of asylum seekers in Italy have been debated in light of the settlement and livelihood difficulties experienced by forced migrants. This study further explores the notion of «uncertainty» to examine how asylum policies in Italy have created peculiar conditions for the housing of refugees. Access to basic health services, employment, and housing is rigidly codified in Italy, but the panoply of legal and administrative documents does not translate into actual access to livelihood and housing, thus leading to prolonged uncertainty in housing conditions for refugees.