Precarious Housing Conditions Research Articles

Precarious Work and Housing for Michigan Farmworkers During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

ABSTRACT Objectives Farmworkers in Michigan face precarious and exploitative labor conditions that affect their access to affordable, fair, and quality housing, which are key social determinants of health. We sought to assess the health, working conditions, and housing access, affordability, and quality of farmworkers living in and outside of employer-provided housing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We conducted a mixed methods cross-sectional study in collaboration with community partners from the Michigan Farmworker Project and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. We assessed housing, labor conditions, and general health through in-depth phone interviews with seasonal, migrant, and H-2A farmworkers (n = 63) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021) in Michigan. Descriptive analyses of these data included comparisons by type of farmworker and type of housing (employer-provided or other). Results The majority of farmworkers interviewed were women and seasonal farmworkers and spoke primarily Spanish. A significant share of farmworker participants reported living in poverty (38.3%) and had low or very low food security (27.0%). Nearly half of farmworkers (47.6%) rated their health as “fair” or “poor” during the year prior to the interview, and more than a third reported 3 or more chronic conditions (39.6%) and lack of health insurance coverage (38.7%). Among the 43 workers tested, 25.6% reported testing positive for COVID-19. Farmworkers reported experiences of objectification and dehumanization. Three-quarters of workers reported feeling that they were treated as less than human by supervisors and one-third reported verbal abuse. Farmworkers also experienced challenges exacerbated by their social vulnerability that impeded them from finding affordable, quality housing. Regarding housing quality, the majority of workers (80.6%) reported one or more environmental hazards around their residence, and about a third reported not having air conditioning (33.%) and lacking a functioning washing machine (33.9%). Concerns about the quality of drinking water accessible to workers and exposure to chemicals were shared by participants. Conclusion This study adds valuable knowledge to the understanding of the systemic barriers to housing and work conditions for female and male seasonal, migrant, and H-2A farmworkers in Michigan. Shortcomings in the regulatory and policy environment result in precarious housing and work conditions, including exploitative labor practices. These conditions negate equality, fairness, and health equity, important tenants for public health.

Socioeconomy of Family Farmers in the Quilombola Settlement Project in Óbidos, Pará, Brazil: Subsidies for the Management of Quilombola Family Farming

Objective: Analyze the socioeconomics of family farmers in the Quilombola Settlement Project in Óbidos-PA, in order to subsidize the management of Quilombola family production agricultural systems. Theoretical framework: It presents the historical and institutional process of environmentally differentiated projects and the historical and current context of the existing quilombola communities in Brazil, as well as the current socioeconomic situation experienced by the quilombolas. Method: The research is classified as quantitative-descriptive. A case study was carried out through the application of interviews and direct observation. 100 quilombola farmers from the municipality of Óbidos, Pará. Brazil participated in the research. Data were organized in Excel for Windows® spreadsheets and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results and conclusion: The results showed that most quilombola farmers have a low level of education, their families are relatively large and they live in precarious housing and basic sanitation conditions, with a monthly income of less than the minimum wage. The results also showed that family farming is the main source of income and subsistence and the federal government's social programs are the main sources of financial supplementation. Research implications: This research will contribute with competent authorities and decision makers in proposing public policies that provide a better quality of life for settled families and promote the development of the local communities involved, which lead in the seventh position with the largest quilombola population in Brazil. Originality/value: Knowledge of the socio-economics of quilombola family farmers in an agrarian reform settlement area will support public managers and representative entities in decision-making and management of agricultural systems of family production.

Precarious housing and health inequalities in Spain since the crisis

Abstract Background Housing is considered crucial to human existence and has been recognized as a key social determinant of health. However, the “housing question” has become a major issue in high-income countries. In this context, the concept of precarious housing has emerged to describe the increasing prevalence of insecure and unstable housing conditions. However, its research has been limited to very specific national and temporal contexts. To address this gap, the present paper aims to study the predictors of precarious housing and its impact on health inequalities in the Spanish context since the GFC. Methods The methodology will consist of a multilevel analysis of pooled cross-sectional data from the Spanish Survey of Living Conditions (ECV) 2007-2020 (N = 51882) to identify the predictors of housing precariousness. Then, we are going to examine the associations between precarious housing and health outcomes and inequalities through multivariate logistic regressions. Results Our descriptive results show that precarious housing has become a persistent problem in the Spanish context. Furthermore, we found that precarious housing levels are unevenly distributed across the population along axes of inequality. In this respect, tenure status emerges as a critical predictor. Compared to outright homeowners, mortgage homeowners, market rental tenants, social rental tenants, and free cession dwellers experience significantly higher levels of housing precariousness (RR: 6.53, CI: 5.97 - 7.15; RR:8.10, CI:7.37-8.91; RR:5.72, CI:5.06-6.48; and RR:1.41, CI:1.21-1.65 respectively). Finally, we show that precarious housing conditions are significant predictors of health outcomes and inequalities. The odds ratio (OR) of reporting lower self-reported health increases with the number of precarious housing levels: 1.68 (CI: 1.52-1.85) for one level, 2.43 (CI: 1.94-3.03) for two levels, and 3.55 (CI: 2.23-5.67) for three levels. Key messages • Precarious housing is influenced by axes of inequality such as age, gender or nationality. • Health inequalities are strongly associated with precarious housing conditions.

Mushroom Tacos: Multicultural Festivals and Environmental Racism in a Rural Pennsylvania Town

ABSTRACT Advancing recent literature that critically examines multicultural efforts to generate socio-economic inclusion, this article studies how, in a small yet affluent Pennsylvania town, multicultural festivals are part of a social milieu in which Latinx immigrants face continuing erasure and exploitation – manifested in precarious health and housing conditions. Utilizing ethnographic and qualitative methods, I show that, although the town’s multicultural festivals aim to give a voice and recognize minority communities, they have in some cases contributed to an environment in which Latinx peoples have for decades been silenced and overlooked, resulting in heightened rates of health issues related to dangerous housing. From a semiotic theoretical approach, the disconnect between increasing performative-visibility and ongoing marginalization of Latinx immigrants can be explained by multicultural festivals relying upon floating signifiers, as well as issues of structural power. My findings shed light on the nuanced cultural ways that the structural social and material suffering of minoritized, immigrant populations is overlooked through the invocation of purportedly emancipatory acts, as well as the lingering effects of the structural force of White Supremacy.

Racism in Marketing Academia: A Necessary Discussion and Call for Action

The management academy as a whole, and more specifically the marketing academy, have recently recognized the importance of discussions of race and racial issues, which were discussed in a panel at EnAnpad 2021, the most prominent Brazilian management conference and the world's second. The Panel's proposal emerged from reading Francis’ provocative work, which establishes new relationships between structural racism and academic socialization, in which the mechanisms of social exclusion are present. As a result of the Panel’s debate, this paper presents three perspectives on the racialized reality in which we live. The first indicates how much racism conveniently insists on naturalizing privileges mistakenly treated as individual merits for specific groups. The second perspective reminds us how the racialized gaze forces subjugated groups to react, fight, and establish political and legal means. Finally, the third perspective explores a racial landscape, forcing us to ask ourselves how long academics and practitioners in Brazil and abroad will take to recognize ourselves as part of the problem. As a result, we advocate that educational institutions are fundamental to the path of change. Additionally, we propose a non-exhaustive critical agenda for social transformation.

Queering Housing Policy: Questioning Urban Planning Assumptions in Namibian Cities

Heteronormative models of the home have permeated housing policies for decades, only adding to economic and spatial inequalities in a landscape of housing injustices. Half of the urban population in Namibia lives in precarious housing conditions. Cities like Windhoek and Walvis Bay are among the most unequal in the world. Such inequalities translate into significant gaps in housing quality, security, and service provision. These inequalities are acutely felt by LGBTIQ+ populations that already face other forms of exclusion from economic and social life and fundamental human rights. A new National Housing Policy—emphasizing the right to housing—is about to be adopted in Namibia, but would it address the concerns of queer populations? This article asks what it means to engage with Namibia’s new National Housing Policy through the lens of queer decolonial thought. It presents an exploratory study of the questions emerging at the margins of the discussion on the National Housing Policy. The objective was to develop an exploratory research agenda for a queer decolonial perspective on housing in Namibia. In the context of enormous housing shortages, a queer decolonial perspective emphasizes radical inclusion as a principle for housing provision. The exploration of shared queer experiences in accessing housing suggests that the themes of belonging, identity, and safety may support the development of such an agenda. Queer decolonial thought has thus three implications for an agenda of research on housing in Namibia. First, it calls for understanding what community and belonging mean for LGBTIQ+ people. Second, queer decolonial thought poses questions about citizenship, particularly given the shift to a view of the state as creating housing opportunities (through land rights and basic services) and support mechanisms for incremental housing. Queer decolonial thought calls for identifying the multiple ways the state misrecognizes individuals who do not conform to prescribed identities and sexual orientations. Third, queer decolonial thought invites reflection on the constitution of safe spaces in aggressive urban environments and the multiple layers of perceived safety constructed through diverse institutions and public spaces.

The Impact of Housing Experience on the Well-Being of 1.5-Generation Immigrants: The Case of Millennial and Gen-Z Renters in Southern California

Gentrification is a growing problem that impacts immigrants, particularly in Southern California where housing costs continue to rise. This study examines how Millennials and Generation Z—an understudied group of 1.5-generation immigrants—are experiencing housing instability. Because Millennials and Generation Z immigrants have grown up in a housing crisis, they are disproportionately affected by rising housing costs and a lack of affordable housing, contributing to poor well-being. Findings from 30 semistructured interviews with 1.5-generation immigrants reveal that these long-term renters experience extreme housing burden, precarious housing conditions, and displacement. Participants self-reported that over time, the stress of being housing insecure and being discriminated against as an immigrant has affected their sense of belonging and emotional well-being. This study contributes to a better understanding of the consequences of gentrification on immigrants and points to the need to explore how housing instability creates adverse health outcomes for various populations.

Community resilience, governance, and [in]justice in the context of informal housing after an F3 tornado

ABSTRACT Communities around the world are experiencing significant challenges created by climate change. A large body of resilience literature has examined how communities respond to natural disasters created by this phenomenon. However, resilience studies often fail to acknowledge anthropogenic factors that create and reproduce local vulnerabilities and injustices. Drawing on community resilience and socio-spatial and disaster justice work, this case-study examines whether post-disaster responses contemplated existing injustices and the local views necessary to address housing problems after an F3 tornado in a Southwestern Uruguayan community. Field work was conducted in 2018. Methods included spatial mapping analysis, semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, participant observations, and analysis of secondary data. Findings reveal how post-disaster decisions omitted existing injustices materialized by precarious and informal housing conditions, ignoring the views of community residents who responded by claiming “the right to the community.”

“Homes not shelters”: co-productions of home in financialized social housing for women in Vancouver, Canada

ABSTRACT The financialization of housing, which privileges the exchange value of housing as a commodity over its use value, disproportionately impacts low-income households, women, and people of colour by exacerbating precarious, insecure, and unsafe housing conditions, thereby shaping their experiences of home. In this paper, I engage critical geographies of home and draw on ethnographic work in low-income housing sites for women in Vancouver, Canada. I conceptualize everyday impacts of housing financialization and power relations on co-productions of home by tenants and staff. I argue that a ‘co-production of home’ through processes of home-making and un-making by different housing actors demonstrate that low-income tenants’ experiences of housing and home are impacted by intersecting social hierarchies of power, as well as the financialization of housing. Further, the impacts of housing financialization are resisted through actions like organizational policies from housing providers and tenants’ relationships with their neighbours that produce feelings of community.

Adult student perspectives toward housing during COVID-19

Precarious housing conditions are on the rise in many developing economies, which has resulted in increasing segmentation between population groups with different socioeconomic backgrounds, and in differentiated access to life chances. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its subsequent lockdowns, the relation between learning and housing conditions has become crucial for understanding the adult student's learning experience and well-being. However, knowledge about this relation is limited. This study employs the concept of dwelling to investigate how housing-related precarities may impact upon experiences of students during COVID-19 induced stay-at-home orders. The study draws on fifteen in-depth interviews and a Zoom Video Conferencing (ZVC)-aided focus group in the Ashaiman Municipality in Ghana, to explore students’ perspectives on precarious housing conditions, well-being and learning. Findings reveal that experiences of precarious housing conditions can be complicated and compromised in diverse ways related to quality learning environment, financial, and personal well-being. Through ZVC-aided focus groups, participants defined housing suitable for learning – not purely in academic terms but in relation to housing characteristics, the neighbourhood environment, the built environment, and the social relations of learning. The study finds that students perceive an array of economic, social and geographic barriers to learning and that these perspectives deserve attention in adult student housing policy debate.

Conhecimento empírico versus ciência: obstáculos a um bom prognóstico

Medicine, in its beginnings, was based on knowledge based on historical reports and personal experiences, which still persists today. The modern concept that opposes empiricism is Evidence-Based Medicine, which serves as a basis for clinical decisions. The aim was to discuss the relationship between science, empiricism and good care prognosis from an experience lived in a hospital environment. This is an experience report of a descriptive and critical-reflexive nature, carried out in a medium-sized hospital in the Zona da Mata region, in Minas Gerais. Data were collected through anamnesis and analysis of the medical records of a 53-year-old male patient with Fournier Syndrome. The situation of vulnerability in which the majority of the population living in rural areas is found is an aggravating factor for the emergence and poor prognosis of the pathology, highlighting the difficult access to information, precarious housing conditions and scarcity of treatment and qualified resources. . Therefore, it is worth emphasizing the importance of new research in the area, to develop specific and methodological knowledge in order to build an adequate and effective strategy for patients with the disease.

Housing Uncertainty: Socio-economic Inequality and Forex Loans Trajectories in the Bosnian Housing Market

This article explores the nexus between the financialisation of housing and socio-economic inequality in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). In this context, since the post-war economic reforms, driven by deindustrialisation, the precarisation of labour, and dependent financialisation, housing loans have become a ‘privilege’ for a restricted group of people with high and stable incomes. Instead, the housing aspirations of Bosnians are generally met with the aid of consumer loans and the ostensibly cheaper FX loans that were introduced in the mid-2000s. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data, this paper highlights the enduring features of the polarised credit market in BiH. It particularly focuses on the period after the 2008 crisis when lending policies were only mildly re-regulated. FX loans never became the object of an ad hoc law to convert them to Bosnian convertible marks. This institutional approach has been unable to challenge the extreme class segmentation of housing finance and is still fostering indebtedness and precarious housing conditions among the lower-income segments of Bosnian society even after the pandemic.

Chagas disease in the context of the 2030 agenda: global warming and vectors.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. Thousands of years and centuries of colonisation have passed the precarious housing conditions, food insecurity, lack of sanitation, the limitation of surveillance, health care programs and climate change. Chagas disease continues to be a public health problem. The control programs have been successful in many countries in reducing transmission by T. cruzi; but the results have been variable. WHO makes recommendations for prevention and control with the aim of eliminating Chagas disease as a public health problem. Climate change, deforestation, migration, urbanisation, sylvatic vectors and oral transmission require integrating the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, as well as the links within and between objectives and sectors. While the environment scenarios change around the world, native vector species pose a significant public health threat. The man-made atmosphere change is related to the increase of triatomines’ dispersal range, or an increase of the mobility of the vectors from their sylvatic environment to man-made constructions, or humans getting into sylvatic scenarios, leading to an increase of Chagas disease infection. Innovations with the communities and collaborations among municipalities, International cooperation agencies, local governmental agencies, academic partners, developmental agencies, or environmental institutions may present promising solutions, but sustained partnerships, long-term commitment, and strong regional leadership are required. A new world has just opened up for the renewal of surveillance practices, but the lessons learned in the past should be the basis for solutions in the future.

COVID-19 Outbreaks in Settings With Precarious Housing Conditions in Germany: Challenges and Lessons Learned.

Two COVID-19 outbreaks occurred in residential buildings with overcrowded housing conditions in the city of Göttingen in Germany during May and June 2020, when COVID-19 infection incidences were low across the rest of the country, with a national incidence of 2.6/100,000 population. The outbreaks increased the local incidence in the city of Göttingen to 123.5/100,000 in June 2020. Many of the affected residents were living in precarious conditions and experienced language barriers. The outbreaks were characterized by high case numbers and attack rates among the residents, many asymptomatic cases, a comparatively young population, and substantial outbreak control measures implemented by local authorities. We analyzed national and local surveillance data, calculated age-, and gender-specific attack rates and performed whole genome sequencing analysis to describe the outbreak and characteristics of the infected population. The authorities' infection control measures included voluntary and compulsory testing of all residents and mass quarantine. Public health measures, such as the general closure of schools and a public space as well as the prohibition of team sports at local level, were also implemented in the district to limit the outbreaks locally. The outbreaks were under control by the end of June 2020. We describe the measures to contain the outbreaks, the challenges experienced and lessons learned. We discuss how public health measures can be planned and implemented through consideration of the needs and vulnerabilities of affected populations. In order to avoid coercive measures, barrier-free communication, with language translation when needed, and consideration of socio-economic circumstances of affected populations are crucial for controlling infectious disease transmission in an outbreak effectively and in a timely way.

Perceptions about malaria among Brazilian gold miners in an Amazonian border area: perspectives for malaria elimination strategies

BackgroundMining in the Amazon exposes gold miners to various diseases, including malaria, whose control is still a major challenge. The environment of the mines contributes to the proliferation of vector mosquitoes and the precarious housing conditions facilitate transmission of the disease. Understanding gold miners’ perceptions is essential for the formulation of strategies to fight malaria. A qualitative study was carried out in the municipality of Calçoene, state of Amapá, Brazilian Amazon adjointining the municipality of Oiapoque, that is in the border area with French Guiana and Suriname.MethodsA semi-structured interview was applied to an intentional sample of 29 miners, a number determined by the theoretical saturation criterion. Thematic analysis was adopted to obtain the results and the Cohen's Kappa index was calculated to verify the agreement between observers during coding.ResultsThe agreement between observers was verified by a Cohen's Kappa index of 0.82. Analysis of the interviews showed that gold miners were subjected to prejudice from the community due to forest diseases that they can transmit, and their activities are often associated with crime. When the miners return to their hometown after a period of mining, the urban population blames them for the onset of diseases such as malaria. Most participants in the survey did not know how malaria transmission occurs, and associated its occurrence with contaminated water and food. Participants reported not being afraid of the disease, trusting the diagnosis and available treatment, though this depends on where they are treated. The use of therapeutic resources, such as medicinal plants and medicines acquired in the illegal market, is very common in this population. Despite the challenges identified by the research subjects, they believe that the disease can be controlled, or the cases reduced, but there was low acceptability for a possible mass drug administration (MDA) intervention.ConclusionDespite a recent reduction in malaria prevalence in Brazil, there are still vulnerable populations, such as gold miners, who help to perpetuate the existence of the disease in the Amazon. The lack of knowledge regarding how the transmission of malaria occurs, associated with myths regarding this and the use of traditional health practices and illegal drugs for the treatment of the disease without a specific diagnosis, jeopardizes the country’s efforts to eliminate malaria. It is necessary to implement control programmes in these populations, especially those who frequently travel around the border region and to remote locations, which are difficult regions for health teams to access, thus hindering diagnostic and treatment actions. For this reason, understanding the perceptions of these individuals as well as their customs, beliefs and lifestyle, can assist in the production of targeted educational material and adoption of strategies in the elimination of malaria in the country.

Arquitectura moderna: puente para la dignidad de la vivienda popular en Colombia

El presente artículo es resultado de la investigación adelantada como alternativa de grado como aporte al semillero de APQUA del grupo de investigación PAME de la Universidad de Boyacá.
 La arquitectura moderna tuvo una valiosa participación dentro del proceso de dignificación de la vivienda popular en Colombia. A raíz de la industrialización del país entre las décadas de 1830 y 1850 (Mayor Mora, 2002), el problema de escasez y baja calidad de la vivienda para el sector popular se intensificó debido a la migración de campesinos a la ciudad en busca de oportunidades laborales y a la alta demanda de mano de obra. Hasta antes de 1918, el Estado colombiano no prestó la atención requerida a esta situación; las condiciones precarias de las viviendas y la carencia de higiene afectaban directamente a las familias y a la ciudad
 En el transcurso de la investigación, al indagar sobre la arquitectura moderna en Colombia y sobre el desarrollo y evolución de la vivienda popular, se encontró que, inicialmente, fueron las comunidades religiosas católicas y las entidades de beneficencia las que se preocuparon ante el desalentador panorama, por lo que comenzaron las construcción de viviendas con un esquema social participativo, de manera conjunta con los beneficiados, con diseños que respondían a los parámetros básicos de la arquitectura moderna en cuanto a iluminación, ventilación, amplitud y flexibilidad de los espacios; estas fueron las primeras viviendas dignas para clases populares en el país.
 A inicios de la década de 1920, el Gobierno expidió leyes tendientes a promover la construcción de vivienda popular bajo lineamientos que aplicaban los parámetros básicos modernos, los cuales garantizaban el bienestar de las familias de ingresos bajos. Estos nuevos proyectos de vivienda fueron diseñados por arquitectos colombianos llegados al país desde Europa después de terminar allí sus estudios, influenciados por las nuevas tendencias de la arquitectura moderna. Fue un momento en el que el arquitecto comenzó a tener un rol fundamental en el desarrollo de las ciudades colombianas.
 La aplicación de los conceptos de la arquitectura moderna en construcciones populares dio como resultado espacios higiénicos, confortables, flexibles y progresivos, brindando una vivienda digna a la clase obrera, víctima hasta entonces del olvido del Estado, que por mucho tiempo pasó por alto sus necesidades y derechos. La vivienda popular, construida con materiales económicos y aplicando los principios de iluminación, ventilación y amplitud de espacios, dio nueva esperanza y mejoró las condiciones de una clase social afectada por el déficit de vivienda; esto da un giro de 180° a la situación, pues a partir de este momento, la arquitectura moderna ya no es exclusivamente para clases altas, sino que se convierte en una solución para diversas problemáticas de las clases media y baja.
 A finales de la década de 1960, el Estado empezó a involucrar compañías inmobiliarias en estos proyectos de vivienda popular, al resultarle costoso su diseño por parte de arquitectos reconocidos, que cobraban altas sumas de dinero por su trabajo. Adicionalmente, los presupuestos para estas viviendas disminuyeron, lo cual desalentó a muchos arquitectos que querían generar calidad, pero para ello se requería de una inversión justa. En conclusión, aquella calidad de las viviendas populares que se había alcanzado gracias a la aplicación de los parámetros de la arquitectura moderna durante la primera mitad del siglo XX, comenzó a disminuir progresivamente, perdiéndose poco a poco los logros alcanzados.
 Lo que ocurrió en años posteriores fue el camino a la crítica situación actual que presenta la vivienda de interés social. A partir de la creación del Sistema Nacional de Vivienda de Interés Social en 1991, integrado por entidades públicas y privadas, se estableció el subsidio familiar de vivienda, lo que significó un cambio sustancial en el papel del Estado en la solución de la problemática de vivienda popular, pues pasó de ser promotor, a ser simplemente un facilitador del mercado.
 La investigación contempla una comparación entre la vivienda popular influida por la arquitectura moderna y la vivienda de interés social de hoy. Actualmente, las normativas sobre vivienda de interés social se centran en la exigencia de dimensiones mínimas de los espacios con una destinación definida; dado que la norma no contempla aspectos fundamentales de una vivienda digna como la espacialidad y las áreas libres interiores, la iluminación y ventilación, el tratamiento paisajístico en las urbanizaciones, los equipamientos comunales, el acceso a transporte público, entre otros, estos aspectos no son ya tenidos en cuenta en los diseños. Lo que debería ser un derecho, ahora es un privilegio que, lamentablemente, la mayoría de las personas “beneficiadas” con Viviendas de Interés Social, no tienen.

Roma street-workers in Uppsala: racialised poverty and super precarious housing conditions in Romania and Sweden

Using a combination of a political economy approach for the analysis of housing with a postcolonial approach to mobility patterns of the racialised and impoverished Roma in Europe, we reflect on the relationship between racialisation and the precarious living and housing conditions of the Eastern European Roma who move from the poorer to the richer countries of the European Union. Through a qualitative and multi-sited approach to housing, we reveal the situation of permanent displacement for racialised Romanian Roma groups in both Sweden and Romania. We have followed Roma street-workers who come to Sweden for earning income in order to improve their homes in Romania, but once there, they are exposed to homelessness, harsh weather conditions, racism and discrimination. We found that the super precarious conditions of housing in Romania push the migrant Roma into even worse housing and living conditions in the destination country, completing a vicious circle of forced nomadism in which the lack of right to decent housing and permanent risk of displacement are central aspects. This article merges the interests of urban and housing researchers with those from the postcolonial tradition.

Geographies of insecure water access and the housing–water nexus in US cities

Safe, reliable, and equitable water access is critical to human health and livelihoods. In the United States, an estimated 471,000 households or 1.1 million individuals lack a piped water connection and 73% of households are located in cities, close to networked supply. In this study, we undertake a nationwide analysis of urban water access in the United States, with the aim of explaining the drivers of infrastructural inequality in the 50 largest metropolitan areas. Drawing on statistical analysis and regression modeling of census microdata at the household scale, our analysis reveals spatial and sociodemographic patterns of racialized, class-based, and housing disparities that characterize plumbing poverty. Among unplumbed households, we show that households headed by people of color are almost 35% more likely to lack piped water as compared to white, non-Hispanic households. Precarious housing conditions are an equally strong predictor: Renter-occupied households in the 50 largest US metros were 1.61 times more likely than owner-occupied households to lack piped water. We argue that insecure domestic water access in the United States should be understood as a housing issue that reflects structural inequalities of race and class, particularly in cities with widening wealth gaps. The article concludes with a call for research and action at the intersection of water provision, housing, and social inequality-a paradigm we call the housing-water nexus.

Homeless persons and migrants in precarious housing conditions and COVID-19 pandemic: peculiarities and prevention strategies.

Homeless persons and migrants in precarious housing conditions are vulnerable populations that have been peculiarly impacted by the Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. These populations are more at risk of contracting COVID-19 as they often find it difficult to adhere to public health directives and, if exposed, may be more susceptible to illness or death due to the higher prevalence of underlying physical and mental comorbidities compared to the general population. In addition, vulnerable populations may have limited access to essential diagnostics and treatments, thus leading to untreated COVID-19 cases and their development into more severe forms. Health, social and government agencies should collaborate to develop services that support these communities, in accordance with the World Health Organization principles. Migrant and homeless centers have a central role, as they provide a significant contribution to prevent infection spread and favor access to early medical treatment to those affected, thus preventing more severe forms of infection.

Mexico’s Housing Paradox: Tensions Between Financialization and Access

ABSTRACT The main aim of this article is to analyze the participation of different government levels and institutions in promoting the financialization of housing in Mexico. Furthermore, it examines some of the implications of following this logic, particularly at the local and household levels, such as surmounting mortgage debt, the clustering of vacant and abandoned housing, and, ultimately, the reproduction of poor housing conditions. Since the late 1990s, millions of households have acquired mortgages to buy homes in the periurban fringes of Mexican cities. Such new sprawling housing developments, however, have offered limited access to economic opportunities, and have imposed a significant burden on local governments to provide infrastructure and services. Many families have also seen their mortgage debt increase, forcing many of them to leave their dwellings behind. By 2010, Mexico had the highest vacancy rate among member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and about a third of Mexicans still live in precarious housing conditions. Such paradoxical coexistence, I argue, exposes a tension between the financialization of and the right to housing, and the extent to which the former has trumped the latter.