Abstract

In the past decade, the collaboration paradigm has made significant inroads into dwelling models, promoting the spread of collaborative housing (CH). This umbrella term encompasses a broad range of forms that vary both geographically and temporally. Recently, CH has been increasingly viewed as a solution for improving housing affordability and fostering the social inclusion of vulnerable individuals, whose fragility extends beyond income to encompass other personal conditions such as age, occupation, or disability. This trend is particularly pronounced in Italy, where research has begun to discuss collaborative social housing and «co-social housing», blurring the boundary between social housing and CH. Given these developments, it is essential to examine CH in Italy within the context of housing policies and the welfare state. What are the characteristics and outcomes of collaborative social housing? What role can it play in housing and welfare policies? This study undertakes an analysis of the principal literature on the topic and compares 28 collaborative social housing cases in Lombardy and Emilia Romagna. The results indicate that two patterns can be identified in collaborative social housing: one focused on housing affordability and the other on non-economic needs. While these patterns share similarities, they exhibit differences in characteristics (such as target, location, and selection criteria) and outcomes (such as impacts on social ties, intensity of sharing, and affordability). Moreover, the results suggest that CH can effectively contribute to achieving socially oriented goals. However, there are implications for social protection, including the risk of paradoxical marginalization of the most deprived individuals from housing and welfare benefits, as well as the exacerbation of territorial differences.