Housing policy, family models and strate- gies in the provincial production of state- hood, Santiago del Estero (2014-2021)

Abstract

This paper takes up the Final Degree Project of the Licenciatura en Trabajo Social de la Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero, Argentina, entitled Producción de estatalidad en Santiago del Estero: un análisis de la política de vivienda y la reproducción de un modelo familiar tradicional-conyugal (Production of statehood in Santiago del Estero: an analysis of housing policy and the reproduction of a traditional conjugal family model). We intend to deepen the findings and results. At the same time, we seek to critically reflect on the public housing policy of the Provincial Institute of Housing and Urbanism of the province of Santiago del Estero (hereafter IPVU). We will address the relationship between provincial housing policy and the (re)production of family models and strategies within the framework of the study of the production of provincial statehood. We will also focus on the demands made when applying for public housing and on family strategies to overcome them. For the analysis, we took housing allocations in the Belén neighbourhood (2016), Villa del Carmen (2014-2020- 2021) and Altos del Golf (2019-2020-2021) in the city of Santiago del Estero. On the basis of the tour, we note that housing policy produces state effects on families, the requirements of the IPVU proclaim a traditional conjugal family model based on the classification processes that families aspiring to be successful bidders go through. IPVU’s requirements are mainly related to family composition, employability and income; in view of the difficulties arising from these requirements, families develop strategies to access public housing, which may or may not be channeled by the provincial institute.