Access to Housing and Social Inclusion in a Post-Crisis Era

Housing and social inclusion and affordability have become a rising concern in Greece and especially Athens, during the years of the crisis, and even more so during the postcrisis period, since recent trends have revealed that returning to a previous housing model is not possible, while poverty, inequalities, and intensified speculative market activity are eroding previous mechanisms and resources. Affordable housing in Athens has been available under different forms for several decades without policies that explicitly targeted its provision. However, state intervention was crucial through indirect measures.

This strategic/conscious choice of ‘non-policy’—as long as the market regulates itself that rejoiced broad social consent, made social housing policies seem unneeded, while also hiding the many invisible, but existing, facets of housing deprivation. In the aftermath of the crisis, as housing markets seem to fail to address persisting social needs, such policies are needed more than ever. Focusing at the city level can contribute to the hidden resources and mechanisms that allow affordable housing to be accessed by different social groups, even without being acknowledged as such, and raise concern regarding the protective measures and potential resources that could be part of a new social housing assistance model in Greece.

Also Read: Housing Solutions for People who are Homeless in Greece