Reciprocity in people’s non-statutory shelter strategies in Brussels

This paper examines how individuals experiencing homelessness in Brussels navigate reciprocal networks to secure non-statutory shelter through sofa surfing and squatting. Drawing on 22 housing biographies, the study explores the dynamics of reciprocity beyond kinship ties, highlighting its potential and fragility in highly precarious contexts. While these arrangements offer temporary relief, they often involve power imbalances and can lead to exploitation or negative reciprocity. Using Polanyi’s framework of economic integration spheres, the analysis situates reciprocity as a vital yet underexplored mechanism for meeting shelter needs, contrasting it with market and redistributive logics. Findings underscore that informal strategies are not merely coping practices but acts of claiming humanity and, in some cases, political visibility. Policy implications include recognising sofa surfing as homelessness, supporting dignified squatting initiatives, and leveraging reciprocal systems for alternative housing models that reintroduce care into dwelling.