Rental Affordability, Housing First and Beyond. A Focus on the City of Trieste (Italy)

In Europe, access to affordable rental housing is increasingly recognised as a priority issue, particularly for individuals facing multifaceted distress or temporary and precarious employment. By addressing multiple dimensions of poverty, the Housing First (HF) approach challenges traditional emergency responses, framing access to housing as a comprehensive and diversified set of preventive actions against homelessness. Since 2015, HF has gained recognition in Italy, although its implementation remains limited. This paper explores the spatial conditions, target populations, stakeholders, and both material and immaterial resources that could facilitate the integration of HF into structural policies for affordable social (and ‘very social’) rental housing. The case study focuses on Trieste, a medium-sized Italian city where the risk of homelessness is significant due to demographic aging, migration flows, and an insufficient supply of public housing.