This paper describes the housing arrangements of immigrant children aged 11-14, comparing their situation to that of Italian children. Data come from the ITAGEN2, a statistically representative survey of students aged 11-14, living in 44 Italian provinces during the 2005-2006 school year (10 537 Italians and 6368 immigrants). Parents of Italian children are often able to combine three housing objectives: homeownership, spaciousness and proximity to relatives. The considerable rise in the price of real estate over the last decade has meant that many immigrant families have been drawn into a vicious cycle: the increasing lack of financial means has made purchasing a large home impossible for many, forcing families to rent or buy a little house far from their close relatives. This distancing in turn affects their economic situation, in that the possibility of receiving informal aid (i.e. childcare, etc.) is reduced. A lack of suitable housing policies exacerbates the difficulty of breaking this pattern. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.

Migration Immigrant assimilation Spaciousness Housing tenure Proximity to relatives Homeownership

housing market housing conditions homeownership immigrant Italy migrants experience housing provision rent seeking housing policy Child