Libya — A Long Way from Home – Migrants’ housing conditions in Libya (23 Nov 2020)

Housing is a basic human need and is central to social, emotional and economic well-being. Housing is closely tied to the way migrants and host populations live, organize their lives and their sense of security. As of September 2020, over 584,000 migrants were in Libya residing in a variety of housing arrangements including rented apartments, migrant guest houses and accommodation provided by employers. The benefits of adequate housing are undeniable and include potential improvement to mental and physical health, livelihoods, living standard, welfare and the environment and also promote inclusive and active participation in social and economic activities.

The findings of this survey confirm that employment and economic status, migration intentions as well as gender are factors that appear to lead to increased difficulty in accessing and securing adequate housing. The precarious employment situation and marginalization in the labour market of some respondents seems to affect their access to decent accommodation. In turn, living in inadequate housing can lead migrants to be exposed to unhealthy, unsafe and exploitative housing circumstances increasing their overall level of vulnerability. In addition, disability appears to be a barrier to inclusion and accessing adequate housing

Overcrowding was a substantial challenge across accommodation settings examined in this study, particularly for migrants living in collective housing. Correspondingly, across many indicators, those living in crowded spaces fared worse along adequate housing dimensions employed as analytical framework.