Warfare in Welfare: Faith-Based Housing in Lebanon and the Politics of Division

This study examines the relationship between (in)adequate housing provision by faith-based organizations and socio-spatial segregation as perceived by residents in the sectarian-divided context of Lebanon. Through a case study of Project 896, a Druze-exclusive faith-based housing project in Choueifat, the research aims to understand how (in)adequate housing provision shapes residents' perceptions of segregation in a contested urban landscape. The study engages with broader literature on faith-based housing and welfare systems in the West and the Middle East, by drawing similarities in housing provision modes. The research tackles three key objectives: analyzing the housing provision mode of the faith-based organization and linking it to broader models of housing provision; assessing the adequacy of the housing project in terms of adequacy principles; and exploring how residents experience and perceive socio-spatial segregation in a divided urban context. Findings suggest the housing provision of this FBO is similar to other local and global examples, however, doesn’t qualify as a social housing model. Moreover, while the housing project successfully met basic needs in adequate housing, such as affordability and design quality, it also maintained socio-spatial segregation through selective accessibility and infrastructural and land contestations. Furthermore, results showed that the faith-based housing project didn’t reproduce a strong place identity, albeit strengthened territorial boundaries. The study concludes that in a context of weak state governance, faith-based organizations play a crucial role in housing provision, yet their projects can inadvertently further weaken the state giving power to alternative authorities, thus maintaining socio-spatial segregation.