(un) Planned Housing Emergency : The Struggle for Housign Authonomy for TCN in the Case of Turin

The systemic deficiencies within Italy’s frameworks for the reception and support of Third Country Nationals (TCNs) significantly exacerbate the existing housing crisis characterized by insecurity and unaffordability.The incidence of absolute poverty among TCN households is alarmingly high at 34.4%, compared to just 5.1% in the overall population (Istat,2022). One of the most discriminatory sectors for foreign-origin populations is rental housing, where landlords often hesitate to rent to TCNs or demand additional guarantees. Moreover, the public housing access procedures are lengthy,often requiring long-term residency, which limits TCNs’ability to achieve housing autonomy. As a result, many TCNs find themselves trapped in precarious, informal, and sometimes inhumane living conditions, placing additional pressure on municipal resources without providing sustainable housing solutions. Concurrently, public housing initiatives face a reduction in available units, primarily due to neglect, disinvestment, and the absence of effective regional and municipal housing policies, compounded by inadequate funding. This decline can be traced back to neoliberal political decisions since the 1990s. This paper argues that the multilevel dysfunctionalities of the housing and welcome system in place are significant bottlenecks to the housing autonomy of TCN, which is essential for their full socio-political and economic participation. Because of these impediments, the focus on short-term emergency solutions further obstructs necessary systemic reforms in public housing policies. Using Turin as a case study, the paper examines the multi-scalar welcoming system in Italy, revealing how national and regional policies have fostered a problematic management approach to housing accessibility. It includes insights from interviews with local stakeholders and authorities, highlighting bottlenecks between different levels of support. Finally, the paper proposes strategies to create long-term solutions for public housing assets that will benefit the broader community. This research is based on the Empower Housing initiative, a collaboration involving the municipality of Turin, the CEB, and Politecnico di Torino.