Women in social and structural homelessness: negotiations about responsible housing provision and how social and geographical exclusion can be prevented

Research Project, 2023 – 2026

An increasing housing shortage has led to a significantly greater responsibility for the municipalities when it comes to providing housing for vulnerable groups. The resulting acute solutions not only generate large costs for the municipalities, but also great human suffering in the form of a constantly imposed housing carousel for those in need of housing. A starting point for this research is that this situation has transferred responsibility to the vulnerable individual. This affects not least women in homelessness. The research project gathers expertise from municipalities, voluntary organisations and the academic sector to jointly problematize today's situation, but also to think anew. The aim is to 1.) identify room for action, goal conflicts and consequences of choices regarding municipal accommodation of women in social and structural homelessness, 2.) investigate consequences of these choices for the individual, and 3.) through dialogue seek new working methods regarding housing provision for these social groups. The project is based on three sub-studies: The relocation of Alma, an accommodation for homeless women; Effects of assisted help to housing contracts outside the municipal boundaries; and Migrants vulnerable situation on the housing market. Each sub-study aims to investigate housing provision at a particular scale level. The project includes the City of Gothenburg, Tidningen Faktum, Stadsmissionen, Chalmers University of Technology and Malmö University.