Access to Housing of Migrant Populations in Montevideo

Abstract:Collective dwellings are highly prevalent among migrants in south-south migration destination countries, typically associated with poor building quality, overcrowding, and unsafe rental arrangements for their occupants. Using longitudinal data from the Recent Immigration Ethnosurvey (ENIR) conducted in Montevideo from July 2018 to March 2019, this article examines the housing conditions among migrants from Cuban, Dominican, Peruvian, and Venezuelan origins. Using multivariate analysis, we discuss whether and how the community of origin, the socio-demographic characteristics of migrants, the nature of their migratory plans, the existence of support networks, and the configuration of the family unit are associated with the probability of living in collective dwellings upon arrival. This paper contributes to the growing literature on the social inclusion of migrant and refugee populations in Latin America with a topic of the utmost importance in a region with structural issues guaranteeing housing rights for its population.