Multifaceted Nature of Housing Precarity: Conceptual Approaches and Institutional Perspectives

Abstract

Housing precarity is a condition of instability and vulnerability in the housing sphere that can manifest in various forms and affect people regardless of income level or social status. It encompasses situations in which housing is unsafe, of unadequate quality, or not accessible over the long term— conditions necessary for a full and secure life. This article analyzes housing precarity as a multidimensional socio-economic phenomenon that influences many aspects of people’s lives. Housing precarity is examined in the context of international research, with an emphasis on the fact that precarious living conditions extend far beyond mere housing provision to include legal vulnerability, threat of eviction, overcrowding, poor housing quality, and limited access to infrastructure and social services. The article discusses various classifications and concepts (for example, “precarious ownership,” “recursive precarity,” “hidden homelessness”), as well as the temporal and spacial dimensions of housing precarity. The study shows that precarities in different domains—housing, labor, and legal—can intersect, mutually reinforce one another, and consolide. The role of cohabitation practices and the “home culture of precarity” in transforming millennial everyday life is also highlighted. Special attention is paid to socio-demographic groups most vulnerable to housing precarity and to the housing strategies they adopt to mitigate its effects. The conclusion emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach tha combines housing, social, and economic policies to ensure housing security and reduce social vulnerability.