Housing policies into the Southern European welfare regime: national strategy for the social inclusion of the homeless in Portugal

Abstract

This article examines the first National Strategy for the Social Inclusion of the  homeless in Portugal, a Southern European country. After reviewing the characteristics of the Southern European welfare regime, the framework for shaping residual housing policies is presented. Methodologically, the article deploys scientific literature on the characteristics of the Portuguese social protection system and its housing policies. Furthermore, it uses quantitative data from Eurostat and conducts semi-structured interviews with several stakeholders engaged in Portuguese housing policies. The main finding is that, notwithstanding the exemplary design of the Strategy, the imposition of the memorandum of 2011 and the subsequent retreat in social policies did not leave the implementation of the Strategy unaffected. While the 2009-11 period saw a satisfactory operation, the Strategy was gradually weakened and became virtually inactive until 2013. Austerity measures invalidated a major social shield against the consequences of the impoverishment that neo-liberal political choices themselves generated.