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. The discussion highlights three key elements. First, the need for socially innovative interventions that address the structural features of the local housing and welfare system. Second, the need to design such interventions based on the recognition of migrants’ agency in coping with housing precarity. Finally, the importance of overcoming the sectoral gap by establishing cooperation between policy sectors (social, housing, reception) to address housing inequalities. This integrated approach would facilitate the development of informed and inclusive policies, ultimately promoting greater social cohesion and the well-being of migrants in South Tyrol and beyond. This research enriches the field of housing studies by challenging the dominance of national-level research by showing how local factors influence migrants’ housing outcomes, and migration studies by highlighting the link between migrants’ housing pathways and their well-being and aspirations