Food, construction, oil, agricultural and other such industries in Trøndelag are highly dependent on foreign migrant workers for seasonal or cyclic work to mitigate labour shortages. Many of these workers are from Central and Eastern European countries such as, Poland, Lithuania and Romania. The journeys of the foreign workers are filled with uncertainty, resilience, and unfamiliarity. Their housing options are symbolic of their foreign and temporary nature. Additionally, the lack of an inclusive housing policy for foreign workers only becomes visible to society when the lack of a system increases the danger of exploitation and social dumping.

While Norwegian politics takes steps to align itself with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, there is a big gap that marks the absence of the temporary foreign workers from the regional and national politics. If we wish our cities to be built for all, we must ensure that even the temporary citizens are not left behind.

Urban November in Trondheim invites you to a conversation around the housing journeys of the foreign migrant workers and the future of the housing and welfare policies in Norway. The event would be held at Sosiologisk poliklinikk on 17th November at 19:00.

PROGRAM:

• Presentation by Gunika Rishi, NTNU institute of design: Between housing and home. Housing experiences of transmigrant labour workers in Trondheim: A narrative enquiry

• Presentation by Kathrine E. Standahl, Boligstiftelsen, Trondheim: Rental housing for all – a utopia or a new housing policy?

• Panel discussion followed by questions and discussion.

The event is organized by Habitat Norge, in cooperation with Department of design (NTNU), BOBY Trondheim and Boligstiftelsen Trondheim.