There is a complex interaction between the providers of housing and those in need of it that needs to be facilitated and optimised by public sector interventions.

The programme aims to support housing for foreign residents through joint public and private dissemination of information on access to the housing market. This has included distribution of materials in foreign languages.   

The 4 areas of activity of the project were: improving access – improve the offer off of homes at more accessible prices – help find homes at prices lower than market prices (e.g. in Milan and Bergamo); restructuring the supply of homes – e.g. using abandoned homes and making them habitable, providing ‘social housing’; strengthening services/ helpdesks for housing – provide information on different places where such services are available; promote harmony between third-country nationals and those who provide housing – organise meetings, roundtables to discuss issues relating to access to housing for third-country nationals.      

Brochures were translated into 10 languages (including English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Urdu, Telugu, Filipino, and Portuguese) and then distributed in various municipalities.

As in the case of the “CertificailtuoItaliano” and the “Vivere in Italia” projects, each project involves complex interdisciplinary elements.  Even if the project has not been continued, there is a legacy that remains. For example, those that have been trained can reuse the skills they learnt, the networks are still there too. Thus the next time a similar project is will be launched, it will be much easier to make it operational. 

Up to now some 60 families have been assisted and 10 are still receiving assistance. 160 service providers have been trained. The development of intercultural competencies, networking with the different entities involved in the provision of social housing (e.g. unions, associations of lawyers, etc.), and the method of bringing in stakeholders involved in the design and delivery of the project were key aspects. One of the findings was that small projects with dedicated a management team give better results than large-scale projects.   

The project is to be evaluated externally after the first 18 months. It will be an interim evaluation.

The extent to which the programme is replicable will be reviewed in the evaluation. 

This programme is only for third-country nationals, and in particular single mothers, single people, those with specific family needs.

The total budget was €1,900,000. The funds came from the Italian Ministry of Welfare.

There is a close relationship with the ‘CertificailtuoItaliano’ and ‘Vivere in Italia’ programmes in terms of target audiences.